10 Movies That Unbelievably Cut What We Wanted To See

4. Rocky Vs. Apollo III - Rocky III

Rocky III may be far from the best entry into the boxing film franchise, but it does boast one of the greatest non-committal endings in movie history, in a genre so little-known for its ambiguous finales no less.

After the first film concluded with Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) losing to heavyweight champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) by split decision, Rocky II climaxed with a rematch, with Rocky winning this time via knockout.

Rocky III switches things up, however, by having Creed train his former adversary as he seeks to reclaim the heavyweight title from Clubber Lang (Mr. T), which he successfully does at the end of the movie.

But the film's brilliant final scene sees Rocky and Apollo lacing up for a private third match with nothing more than pride at stake, yet just as both men throw their first punches, the credits roll on a freeze-frame.

It was a fantastically artful way to tease audiences, that Rocky and Apollo finally learned who the "better" boxer was, but we the audience were left to debate the outcome for more than three decades.

The mystery was finally put to bed in 2015's Creed, then, when an aged Rocky reveals to Apollo's son Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) the outcome of the fight, that Apollo was indeed the winner.

Though some fans have speculated that Rocky could have lied to Adonis, is it really in Rocky's good-hearted character to do that?

He was telling the truth, even if for many being denied the opportunity to witness their rubber match will be a permanent frustration. Great storytelling, though.