Same problem here. I love the idea, I loved Apollo Creed, I was hyped for this franchise... but the Adonis Creed character reminds me of Henry Cavill in the Superman movies. There just isn't much there. Apollo had charisma, envy, and a fun sense of theatricality. That's why this third one looks engaging, because the villain appears to be bringing that Apollo-style charisma and entertainment this time. In the other two, both Adonis and his opponents were just kind of vaguely "serious", so the matchups felt devoid of personality, like BvS.

Maybe if Heath Ledger hadn't died.

2008 is clearly the answer. The Dark Knight hype trumps anything besides Phantom Menace which came out before your timeline.