Zabka, who played Johnny Lawrence in the original Karate Kid film series, reprised his role in the web television series. Ralph Maccio also returned as protagonist Daniel LaRusso. They both serve as executive producers for the show created by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg.
Now in its third season, Cobra Kai is set 34 years after the events of the original Karate Kid film. The show retells the story from Johnny Lawrence’s point of view. The character, in fact, decided to reopen the Cobra Kai karate dojo leading to the rekindling of his old rivalry with Daniel.
‘Cobra Kai’ Made Zabka’s Fans Happy With TBT Thirst Trap
In the new installment, the series also features a nod to those fans swooning over Zabka back in the 1980s. The third season, in fact, includes two TBT pictures of Zabka showing off his ripped, toned body.
“I would like to thank Cobra Kai for finding a reason to include these throwback photos of William Zabka in Season 3,” Netflix captioned the pictures.
Someone asked if those pictures were photoshopped since they looked absolutely flawless. The comment prompted the series’ show runner Hurwitz to weigh in on this very important topic in the best way.
“Those are legit @WilliamZabka beefcake photos,” Hurwitz replied, adding a smiley face.
Zabka’s Fans Swear The Photos Are Real
Fans’ responses to Netflix tweets are hilarious and filled with 1980s nostalgia.
"Looks like someone saved some Tiger Beat magazines from 1984 and that person is my hero,” Twitter user @SuziVoss wrote.
Two other Twitter users discussed whether Zabka is more attractive now or peaked back in his 1980s day. A controversy that cannot be settled, apparently.
The staunchest fans jumped to Zabka’s defence against those who don’t believe the pictures are real.
Zabka recently appeared as himself in season eight of CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother. He had a recurring role on the ninth and final season. He has starred on three seasons of Cobra Kai and is set to return for a fourth already greenlit by Netlifx.
Cobra Kai is available to stream on Netflix