7. Rocky Balboa (Rocky)
Underdog sports movies are a dime a dozen. With movies like
Rudy, Invincible, Remember the Titans,
WeAre Marshall,
Cinderella Man, and
Hoosiers, Hollywood has never been short on true life sports dramas. Even the greatest movie underdog of all-time, Rocky Balboa, is based on a real life athlete. No, there is no real life Rocky Balboa, but the character is based on heavyweight boxer Chuck Wepner. A career journeyman with a blue collar day job, Wepners main claim to fame is going 15 rounds with world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali in 1975, even knocking the champ down to the canvas. Supposedly watching the fight, Sylvester Stallone was inspired to write his boxing masterpiece. (It is no secret that he was also heavily influenced by prizefighter Rocky Graziano). But Wepners Rocky-influence does not end there it is rumored that Wepners 1976 wrestling match with Andre the Giant was the genesis for
Rocky III, where Stallones Balboa wrestles Thunderlips (played by Hulk Hogan). Not satisfied by only being an inspiration, Wepner filed a lawsuit against Stallone, which was eventually settled for an undisclosed amount.