Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone may have the utmost respect for each other today, but there was a time when these two Hollywood legends viewed each other as rivals.

Long before Schwarzenegger and Stallone became Hollywood stalwarts, sharing screen space, they competed to define the modern action hero. Speaking to Maclean’s, Stallone admitted the tension ran deep. He disclosed, “We couldn’t stand to be in the same room.” However, he also highlighted how the rivalry made him better by making him "lose sleep."

The Rambo actor said, "But I like a good adversary. It makes you lose sleep and want to get up in the morning and go to the gym. We started in the business almost the same day. We were at the Golden Globes and he had won for best newcomer; I lost for best actor but we had won best picture, and I took this bouquet of flowers and threw it on him like, ‘It’s on, pal!’"

But things softened down with time. Stallone mentioned, “You move on, have families, and you realize that this fellow’s very similar to you. Now we get along great,” reflecting on how their once-heated dynamic evolved.

Their turning point came around Schwarzenegger’s run for governor of California, when perspective replaced ego.

What remained wasn’t bitterness, but a rare kind of rivalry, one that pushed both men to greatness, and ultimately, brought them onto the same side.

What remained wasn’t hostility, but a rare rivalry, one that ultimately pushed both men to greatness.

Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger Revisit the Origin of Their Iconic Rivalry

For every rivalry, there is a starting point, and it wasn't any different for the conflict between Stallone and Schwarzenegger. Stallone recalled the triggering point of their rivalry during a joint TMZ sit-down, describing how even walking into the same party felt like a challenge.

He said, “As soon as I saw him, it was, like, bang, two alphas hitting. I gotta get that guy. He didn’t do anything wrong, but he will.”

The competition only intensified as both chased the same roles. “There’s not that much room up [at the top]. Everyone wants to be on the point,” Stallone admitted, calling Schwarzenegger a “competition or threat.”

Schwarzenegger, for his part, acknowledged he helped ignite the feud by “opening up [his] mouth” and “saying stupid things.”

Their infamous moment of confrontation at the Golden Globes Awards, in which Stallone throws a bouquet, was described by Schwarzenegger as “the beginning of a battle.” “I had to chase him,” he stated.

Well, fans only benefited from the rivalry between Stallone and Schwarzenegger, as both put everything they had into their movies, which provided fans with cult classics like Rambo and The Terminator.

However, leaving all this aside, who out of Stallone and Schwarzenegger do you like better?

Follow Bodybuilding Bros for more

Written by

Proma Chatterjee

Edited by

Souvik Roy