Criminally Underused

After having watched both seasons of Cobra Kai multiple times, all I can think is, "why did this guy not make it big over the years?" He really should have gone on to being a leading man in the 90s. I wonder if playing such a high-profile bully character somehow derailed his career. There doesn't seem to be any hint of personal or professional chaos, so all I can think is how the shadow of Johnny Lawrence was over him all these years.

Anyway, I thought of roles that would have been great for him (even though none of things things happened, or will happen. Some roles he's way too old for now. On top of that these roles are kind of shallow, but they're all I could think of).

Someone posted on the Cheers board about fantasy casting a Cheers remake. I think if there had been such a thing around 2005 or so, he would have made a great Sam Malone. The way Johnny acts on Cobra Kai is similar to Ted Danson's character (Though I'm glad they haven't remade Cheers).

Another one that would have been cool is if they had the technology to make a good Fantastic Four movie in the late 80s or so. He would have been a great Human Torch (coincidentally, another guy named Johnny).

I could also see him playing Ric Flair, if there were a movie made about the guy. He would have to play middle-aged Flair though. He would be good at playing off the drama in Flair's life with the family problems Flair had.

I also think he could have played Dan Quayle if a historical piece required it.

Hopefully when Cobra Kai ends we will see more roles for Zabka (original stuff and not the goofy stuff I'm thinking of). He's proven he has a lot to offer.