Creed II Trailer Should Excite Every Rocky Fan [WATCH]

The new official "Creed II" trailer was released this week and it should provide an adrenaline rush for every Rocky fan.

I grew up with Rocky movies and I'd eagerly wait for a new entry in the series to be released to theaters.  From the 1977 Academy Award winning "Rocky" through the very well done 2006 entry "Rocky Balboa", I would leave the theater pumped up and inspired (except for the horrible "Rocky V", which I just pretend never existed).

"Rocky" was a classic and the sequels, although not perfect, were done with passion featuring memorable characters and iconic moments (training montage, anyone?).  They hold up too as my kids enjoy watching Rocky movies whenever they come on (Rocky V is, of course, forbidden).

I was skeptical when "Creed" was released in 2015 as I feared it may just be a money grab based on a popular character from the previous movies.  I was encouraged that Sylvester Stallone was in it so I gave it a shot.  "Creed" is a terrific, gritty movie and a welcome addition to Rocky series.

I thought, what could be better than Rocky Balboa passing the torch to Apollo Creed's son Adonis?  How about a direct link to a past Rocky movie!

The "Creed II" trailer finally validates rumors that the film would have a direct link to "Rocky IV", when (Spoiler Alert!) Russian boxer Ivan Drago kills Apollo Creed in the ring during an overblown exhibition.  Not only is Sylvester Stallone back in the mix with the original "Creed" cast, but the "Creed II" cast list also includes Dolph Lundgren, who played Ivan Drago!

There's a couple of cool storylines at play here, with the son versus son revenge match and Rocky and Ivan face to face once again.

Check out the trailer and I bet I'll be seeing you in the theater November 21.