The homage seems lovely, but doesn't (unfortunately) change the fact that to the vast majority of english speakers "rocky" means unstable/dangerous... In fact, one of the most common expressions referring to an unstable/bad relationship is "their relationship is on the rocks" or "they are on the rocks".
People aren't going to think Rocky Linux is unstable for the same reasons why they don't think Apple computers rot if you leave them in the sun. Also, if a product called Red Hat Enterprise Linux was successful despite the name, I'm guessing it can't be that much of an obstacle for Rocky, either.
My reading of the name "Rocky Linux" is similar to my reading of the name "Rocky Balboa". It could be just a name, like "Foo" or it could signify toughness, as "Rocky" does as a nickname in many cases. In two non-fiction cases of boxers, "Rocky" is a diminutive of "Rock" or "The Rock".