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There are a lot of things Hollywood might want to leave behind heading into 2024, but reminiscing tales of Sylvester Stallone’s rivalry with Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t one of them.

Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger in Escape Plan

In an era where the biggest stars are often afraid of letting their true feelings for each other be known, it’s only fair to introduce the new fans and refresh the memory of the old by turning the clock back and shedding a light on the fierce rivalry.

It all started with a flower bowl being thrown from one end of the table to the other and eventually reached the stage where Stallone considered following Schwarzenegger into politics.

Sylvester Stallone in The Expendables

Read more:“Get that thing away from him”: Sylvester Stallone Was Ready to Put His Life on the Line to Snatch a Movie Away From Arnold Schwarzenegger

Sylvester Stallone Came Close to Extending His Rivalry With Arnold Schwarzenegger Into Politics

Sylvester StalloneandArnold Schwarzeneggerbecame two of the most sought-after stars in the 80s and 90s, as Hollywood producers looked to capitalize on the popularity of muscular physiques in the action genre.

Since both Stallone and Schwarzenegger boasted towering builds (and still do) they often used to swim in the same circle. During the 1977 Golden Globe Awards night, theTerminatoractor supposedly laughed at theRockystar after his movie lost in several categories. Finally, when Stallone’s film won an award for Best Motion Picture – Drama, he threw a bowl of flowers at Schwarzenegger.

Arnold Schwarzenegger considers Sylvester Stallone a far superior actor than him

The following years saw the pair compete for several roles as they tried to one-up each other at every possible opportunity.

At the turn of the century, the seven-time Mr. Olympia started to actively take part in politics before being elected as the 38th Governor of California on August 05, 2025. As expected, the idea of doing the same ran through theRambostar’s mind.

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Speaking toVarietyin 2016, Stallone revealed that he met the mayor of Philadelphia around the time 2006’sRocky Balboacame to the fore. He purportedly told the actor,“I believe you could be elected.”

“I said to my wife, ‘What do you think?’”Stallone recalled.“She said, ‘Are you crazy? He’s just being nice. You’re not going to be elected. You don’t have that insatiable need to be embraced by people.’”

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TheCreedstar listened to the advice of his wife, Jennifer Flavin, and didn’t follow Schwarzenegger into politics.

Read more:Quentin Tarantino Denied Wishing Sylvester Stallone to Team up With Arnold Schwarzenegger in Brad Pitt’s War Movie

Sylvester Stallone-Arnold Schwarzenegger Rivalry Once Got Out of Control

This time Stallone came to his senses and didn’t let his rivalry with Schwarzenegger pull him into politics. But during the 80s and 90s, things often got out of control in the heated race.

During an appearance onThe Graham Norton Show(viaNME), theCommandostar revealed:

“We were movie rivals, but we took the competitiveness to the extreme – we each had to have the best body, we had to kill more people in our films and we had to have the biggest guns. It got out of control and we tried to derail each other.”

However, as they got older, the pair buried their differences and even starred opposite each other inExpendablesin 2010. The action flick was a smashing hit and opened doors for several more collaborations between Stallone and Schwarzenegger.

Vishal Singh

Articles Published :513

Vishal Singh is a Content Writer at FandomWire. Having spent more than half a decade in the digital media space, Vishal specializes in crafting engaging entertainment- and sports-focused stories. He graduated from university with an honors degree in English Literature.

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Sylvester Stallone