The year was 1984…
Johnny Lawrence, a troubled teen from an emotionally abusive home was out for a Sunday ride on his beloved motorcycle with the only family he’d ever known: the brotherhood of Cobra Kai.
“Where do you want to go, Johnny?” a friend might have asked.
“The beach,” Johnny most likely replied. “Let’s go to the beach where I feel happy and free.”
“That sounds kind of feminine, Johnny, but sure dude,” any rational friend would say under similar circumstances.
Johnny had a heartache deep in his soul. His beloved girlfriend, Ali, had just broken up with him.
Who knows what led to the argument that ended their affair? Maybe she didn’t get the whole ‘Karate thing.’ Maybe Johnny made a gentle observation about her getting a little chunky. Or maybe Johnny forgot to acknowledge their one year, three months, and 15 days anniversary.
Whatever the reason for their break-up, Ali got pissed and broke the relationship off.
So Johnny and his equally directionless friends with matching motorcycles went for a ride to the beach so Johnny could process his emotions and get closure.
Unfortunately, Ali was at the beach too. When Johnny and the boys arrived on their bikes, they saw Ali wh**ing around with some kid from out of town who couldn’t have been more than 12-years-old. His name was “Daniel,” and he was macking on Johnny’s ex-girlfriend.
Words were exchanged, boom boxes were broken, and that prepubescent punk, Daniel, took a cheap shot at Johnny.
Naturally, Johnny defended himself. He thought things were settled, but Daniel was from a fatherless home and sought to establish his masculinity by harassing Johnny for most of his senior year. What an a-hole.
The rivalry ultimately came to a head at a Karate Championship the following Spring – a championship that was handed to Daniel on a silver platter after the referees looked the other way on an illegal kick.
The whole thing was humiliating. Worse yet, Johnny’s Sensei took the loss out on him in the parking lot, broke his trophy, and attempted to choke him to death. Total unsportsmanlike conduct.
The only justice and payback poor Johnny enjoyed was when Ali dumped Daniel a few months later and moved on to some other unfortunate sucker. She was addicted to men and eventually became a prostitute in Las Vegas in the mid-90s.
Meanwhile, Johhny became the victim of a complete and total character assassination. He wound up portrayed as the bad guy in this whole debacle while Daniel came out smelling like a rose. Why? Because life is bullcrap – THAT’S WHY.
WIBC’s Hammer and Nigel pick up the story of Johnny Lawrence of Cobra Kai in the clip below.
https://omny.fm/shows/hammer-and-nigel-show/the-real-karate-kid
