We all had Rocky out for the count at the end of Rocky V, which left Sylvester Stallone's beloved boxing legend destitute and brain damaged, giving viewers little more than a depressing dirge of a send off to the once-triumphant underdog. In 2006, however, Stallone, at age 60, returned to the franchise after a 16 year hiatus, and managed to craft a nostalgic, hugely entertaining boxing flick that excelled in every area that the last film did not. Opting to ignore the brain damage diagnosis and giving Balboa a convincing impetus to step back into the ring one more time, Stallone - who also directs the film - does away with the daft, monstrous villains of the last films and opts for an approach more realistic and gritty. Mason "The Line" Dixon may not have been as colorful an opponent as Lang or Drago, but the result was a pleasantly down to Earth romp that gave the character the send-off he deserved. It's also the second-best film in the series, which just about nobody expected.