Sorry, Scourge, you just negated your entire argument by referring negatively to Rocky IV, or as I call it, Rocky Battles the Foreign Guy And Good God is it Amazing!
I mean, come on! Do you not get the underlying message there? He's an American who goes to Russia to fight a Russian robot/stereotype! He wins and they drape an American flag around him! I'm not making this a political thing, just saying that's bad filmmaking. I'll be honest, I do get wrapped up in it, though, just tell me that training montage with the Russian using all the machines and Rocky using natural items while Survivor's "Hearts on Fire" plays isn't the greatest piece of work ever committed to film.
I think it's generally a natural guy thing to get into the Rocky movies (though, to be honest, I've never seen the first!), so far be it from me to take away from instincts.
That said, Rocky III will always be the best, in my opinion. I mean, come on, Mr. T, Hulk Hogan, a 2-minute monologue from Rocky in which you can't understand a single bit of dialogue, and a great training montage over Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" (those guys really monopolized the 'songs about getting stronger and achieving goals to be used in Rocky movies' market, didn't they?)! "DEEEEEEEEEEAD MEAT!"