When a convention comes around, often people go to meet someone
they look up to or idolize – maybe it's a cosplayer, an artist, a director, an actor,
etc. Sometimes those interactions are a dream come true, and sometimes those
interactions are a perfect definition of “don't meet your heroes.” I have a story
that may surprise you – the time I met William Zabka, the actor who played Johnny Lawrence.
It was the summer of '82. Rocky III had just came out,
my buddy Dutch was a huge Mr. T fan... just kidding, I wasn't even born yet.
To really give you some backstory, the year was 2017, one year before Cobra Kai had originally
premiered on YouTube Premium. I grew up in the Victoria, TX area... yes, THAT Victoria TX where
Stone Cold Steve Austin is from, only difference is I'm nowhere near a badass that he is. Back in
2014, we had our very first comic con in Victoria, and it surpassed everyone's expectations so much
that each year, it slowly expanded more and more into the community center. To really give you some
perspective, this city in Texas is a gateway to many other smaller towns in the area, some maybe
not even much larger than 5000 people as far as population goes; Victoria around the time was not
much more than 65,000 people. Victoria is where you would go if you wanted to go to the movies,
go to the bowling alley, or shop so you don't have to drive to a major city 2 hours away. I had just
went to my first convention, A-Kon in Dallas the previous year of 2013 so needless to say I left
Victoria Comic Con 2014 pretty hype and excited that I made new friends. When you grow up in a
town where your class is 100 people and nobody else really has the same interests as you do,
finding out people like yourself exist with the same hobbies as you do is pretty mind blowing.
By the time 2017 rolled around, I gained a little bit of notice and was set to appear as
a cosplay guest in my hometown of all places. It's something I always wanted to accomplish,
and there were some other cool guests set to appear – Tara Reid, Scott Norton, Steve Cardenas,
and... William Zabka, Johnny Lawrence himself. It was definitely going to be one convention
to remember, and not to mention one of the few times I was a cosplay guest at a convention.
Now, my booth was set in the cosplay alley, where it was mostly cosplay guests like myself,
some shops, and Steve Cardenas' and Scott Nortons' booths.
William Zabka was in the main hall where the other celebrities were and more artists and shops.
The first day took place on Saturday, April 1st, and... yes that's the real date it was
not an April Fool's joke. That night after the convention, there was a VIP party downtown where
if you paid a VIP pass, you could hang out at the after party and meet some of the guests
and celebrities. Since I was a cosplay guest, I not only got in for free but was also given some
free drinks. I got to hang with some other fans and also got to meet Bryce Papenbrook,
one of the other guests and known for his work such as Kirito from Sword Art Online,
Eren Jaeger from Attack on Titan, and Meliodas from Seven Deadly Sins,
I also got to hang out with Steve a little bit, too. Not too long after, I met William.
Here's how the meeting went down... and it was bad. But not on his part... mine.
Honestly, maybe it was the alcohol in me and also the fact that I was a bit nervous
meeting the bad guy from the first Karate Kid, but I was almost standoffish in meeting him.
Looking back on it now, I feel foolish – Johnny Lawrence is right in front of me,
the quintessential bad guy who I really disliked by the end of the first Karate Kid movie,
and I was thinking “this dude is a real douche,” but William was very kind and courteous,
and he stuck out his hand for me to shake, and I shook it. I think that really just proves how
good an actor William really is – if I was standoffish to shake his hand because all
I saw was Johnny from the Karate Kid movie, then hell, he did a really good job. I think
the worst part of this story is because of that, I felt too nervous later to ask for a picture,
and he was taking pictures with fans and other celebrities that night. In fact, I think he,
along with Tara Reid who was there earlier that night, were the only two celebrities I
didn't get pictures with, and I'm still kicking myself over it – I could've been a total hipster
about it and said “look, I took this picture with Zabka before Cobra Kai even launched.”
Now the next question on your mind is – how was he at the convention? Honestly... still pretty cool
and nice to everybody he met. He actually came and checked out our booths the following day as he got
a little bit of time to walk around the convention and see the things he didn't get to see the day
before. One of my friends who took a picture with him said he was also a total sweetheart, and what
glimpse I did get to catch of his interactions with people were really genuine. Little did I know
the next year I'd be a huge fan of his reprisal of Johnny in the Cobra Kai series in 2018,
and now even until this day. To be honest, I doubt he'll ever see this video or if I'll ever meet
him again but in case he does, William, I am so sorry for being standoffish that night, I wish I
would've grabbed a picture with you, and thanks for being awesome that weekend to not only me
but to the rest of the fans you interacted with. You've done a fantastic job as Johnny and I think
I speak for all of us when I say we can't wait to see where else you take Johnny in Cobra Kai.
Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below, totally a true story, and I have a lot
more convention & cosplay stories I don't mind sharing with you guys. Thanks for watching,
as always, stay beautiful, stay awesome, and we'll catch you around next time.