It was a long running gag in How I Met Your Mother that Barney Stinson played by Neil Patrick Harris loved the Karate Kid movie but rooted for Johnny Lawrence played by William Zabka of the Cobra Kai dojo, instead of the Daniel Larusso played by Ralph Macchio.

Barney: Karate Kid’s a great movie. It’s a story of a young karate enthusiast who’s dreams and moxy take him all the way to the All Valley Karate Championship. Of course sadly he loses in the final round to that nerd kid, but he learns an important lesson about gracefully accepting defeat.
Lily: When you watch the Karate Kid, you actually root for that mean blond boy?
Barney: (Sarcastically) No, I root for the scrawny loser from New Jersey who barely even knows karate. When I watch the Karate Kid, I root for “The Karate Kid”, Johnny Lawrence from the Cobra Kai Dojo. Get your head out of your arse Lily.

Barney Stinson, How I Met Your Mother

In Barney’s Bachelor party episode, we got a cameo from both actors playing themselves Ralph Macchio and William Zebka. Barney thinks he’s Bachelor party is a disaster when the invited the “wrong” Karate Kid, Ralph Macchio, but is later revealed that William Zabka was there the whole time as the clown.

The first 2 seasons of Cobra Kai was exclusive to Youtube’s Paid Premium service which had really limited its exposure which has now completely changed since being released on Netflix last Friday. Now there is bigger anticipation for Cobra Kai season 3 due to be released 2021.

In an interview with the stars William Zabka and Ralph Macchio in 2018, they shared how the cameo on How I met Your Mother reconnected the two and got things started for Cobra Kai to be made.

Unfortunately original Karate Kid actor Robert Garrison whom reprised his character Tommy on Cobra Kai for a reunion episode passed away September 2019