Cobra Kai Season 4’s All Valley Winner Explained: What [SPOILER] Did

Warning: SPOILERS for Cobra Kai Season 4’s Finale – “The Rise”.

Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) cheated so that Cobra Kaicould win the All Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament in season 4 but his actions will have ramifications in Cobra Kai season 5. The entirety of Cobra Kai season 4 built up to the All Valley and the stakes were never higher: According to the wager Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) made with John Kreese (Martin Kove) at the end of Cobra Kai season 3, the dojo that loses the All Valley would have to close forever. Kreese recruited Silver, his Vietnam Army buddy and the villain from The Karate Kid Part III, to even the odds against LaRusso and Lawrence teaming up.

Cobra Kai season 4’s All Valley tournament underwent a significant format change that Terry Silver took advantage of. Along with a performance by musical guest Carrie Underwood, the All Valley council created a boy’s and girl’s division, in part to offset controversy about potential intergender violence. This meant that, for the first time, there would be an All Valley male and female karate champion. Another change was the All Valley introducing a Skills competition so that each dojo’s students could display their abilities with form and weapons. Crucially, dojos would now be competing for points in all divisions so that the dojo with the most points would win the All Valley Grand Championship, which was separate from the boys’ and girls’ individual championships.

It’s only after the dust cleared after the All Valley was over in Cobra Kai season 4’s finale that the full scope of Terry Silver’s machinations come into the light. Silver was actually running simultaneous cons as he was also plotting to take over as Cobra Kai’s sole sensei by framing Kreese for the attempted murder of Stingray (Paul Walter Hauser), which Terry arranged with the oafish Cobra Kai wannabe. But Silver, who was well-aware of Kreese’s pact with LaRusso and Lawrence, never intended for Cobra Kai to lose at the All Valley. Terry used his resources and guile to guarantee the black and yellow dojo’s victory, although it also could end up costing him in Cobra Kai season 5.

How Terry Silver Cheated So Cobra Kai Could Win The All Valley

Terry Silver paid off All Valley’s referee to score the tournament in Cobra Kai’s favor. The direct beneficiary of Silver’s cheating was Tory Nichols (Peyton List). Tory became the first female All Valley Champion when she defeated Samantha LaRusso (Mary Mouser) in the girls’ final. During the quarterfinals and finals, the referee made several controversial calls that gave Cobra Kai an unfair advantage. Although no one suspected that Silver, a multimillionaire with a history of corrupt business deals, bought the referee, the official’s bad calls were certainly noticed by Daniel and Johnny, who were watching from the sidelines.

The first evidence of the referee’s biased calls was during the quarterfinal fight between Tory and Eagle Fang’s Devon Lee (Oona O’Brien). Tory ended up sweeping Johnny Lawrence’s female protege with a 3-0 score, but one of the points Nichols scored shouldn’t have counted because Devon’s foot was out of bounds. Still, the referee counted the point so Tory could win with a clean sweep for Cobra Kai.

Crucially, the referee also scored for Tory in her finals match with Samantha. LaRusso scored a legal point that should have made the score 2-2 but the official ruled that Nichols was out of bounds even though Sam connected before Tory’s foot left the ring. Had LaRusso’s point counted as it should have, Sam would’ve won the All Valley Championship with her next point. Instead, Tory elbowed Sam in the face when their score was 2-2, which Nichols claimed was an accident. The referee gave Nichols a warning instead of a point deduction, which would have given LaRusso the lead. Silver then told Tory, “Trust me, this referee will never end the match on a technicality,” which was a dead giveaway that the fix was in. Although Tory scored the decisive point on her own merits to win the fight 3-2, her sensei greased the wheels that let Nichols win the All Valley Championship.

Terry’s Cheating Was His Karate Kid 3 Revenge

Terry Silver’s cheating that guaranteed Cobra Kai’s All Valley tournament victory was also the ponytailed villain ensuring that his defeat in The Karate Kid Part III wouldn’t happen a second time. Silver and Kreese also used underhanded tactics when their handpicked fighter, Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan), fought Daniel LaRusso in 1985, but Terry didn’t go so far as to pay off the officials. LaRusso upsetting Barnes ruined Terry’s plan to open Cobra Kai dojos all over the San Fernando Valley, which he publicly announced before Daniel’s climactic showdown with Mike.

But in Cobra Kai season 4’s All Valley tournament, Terry made sure to wait until Tory’s win clinched the Grand Championship for his black and yellow dojo before making his move. Only then did Silver make the announcement, once again, that he planned to open Cobra Kai dojos all over the Valley. Cobra Kai season 4 was Terry’s do-over for the humiliation he suffered in The Karate Kid Part III, but this time, everything worked as Silver planned, and none of his enemies (or his allies) were aware of what Terry was plotting.

Tory Is The Real Victim Of Terry Silver Cheating

Unfortunately for Tory, she had no idea that Terry Silver paid off the referee until she accidentally overheard her sensei congratulating the official and promising the money would be in his account. Tory now knows her championship win is tainted, and if Nichols ran through the events of her final fight, she would realize that Sam would have won if not for the referee overruling LaRusso’s legal point. Tory admitted to Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan) how much winning the All Valley would mean to her because it would be validation that she’s the best at something in spite of her difficult life.

But while Tory is the All Valley Champion and the tournament’s council doesn’t know there was cheating involved, Nichols is understandably heartbroken that her victory wasn’t deserved and she really isn’t the best. What Tory will do with this knowledge is a big question for Cobra Kai season 5 to answer. Will Nichols leave Cobra Kai because of what Sensei Silver did? Tory’s loyalties are with Kreese, not Terry, and she may be even more motivated to quit Cobra Kai when she learns Kreese has been arrested, which left Silver in sole command of the dojo? Will Tory keep her tainted championship a secret or will she blow the whistle on Kreese’s cheating in Cobra Kai season 5?

Why Eli Won The Boy’s All Valley Despite Terry Cheating

Interestingly, Terry Silver paying off the referee didn’t come into play in the boys’ All Valley final match between Robby and Eli “Hawk” Moskowitz (Jacob Bertrand), who Cobra Kai season 4 redeemed. The tattooed teenager who used to have a colorful mohawk defeated Robby in sudden death to become the boys’ All Valley Champion, which gave his dojo, Miyagi-Do, that win and bragging rights. The fact that Eli was the underdog against Robby was likely the reason why this fight was clean.

After the injured Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña) quit the tournament, Robby was the heavy favorite to win the boys’ championship. Silver and Kreese had full confidence that Keene could beat Moskowitz, who John never considered to be one of their top fighters when Hawk was still in Cobra Kai. However, Kreese and Silver obviously overestimated Robby while simultaneously underestimating Eli. Hawk beat Johnny’s prodigal son in sudden death, which was the first time that happened since Daniel beat Barnes in The Karate Kid Part III. But Robby’s defeat likely led to Terry Silver ensuring his behind-the-scenes cheating would pay off in Cobra Kai‘s favor when it was clear Tory Nichols vs. Samantha LaRusso’s fight would decide which dojo reigned supreme.

Cobra Kai season 4 is streaming on Netflix.

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