Summary
John Wickis one of the most popular action series going. The franchise is set to return for its fifth movie, and one person is calling out its lead star, Keanu Reeves, for allegedly stealing one of their signature moves.
John Wickstars Reeves as the titular character. He is a legendary hitman who is drawn back into the criminal underworld after his car is stolen and the bad guys kill the puppy he received from his late wife. The firstJohn Wickmovie was released in 2014, and it was well-received. It has spawned three more sequels —John Wick: Chapter 2(2017),John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum(2019), andJohn Wick: Chapter 4(2023). In March, Reeves was previously asked aboutJohn Wick 5,and he said it was unlikely because “the character’s dead.” On April 1, Lionsgate officially greenlitJohn Wick: Chapter 5at CinemaCon, with Reeves returning to reprise his role and Chad Stahelski as director. However, a UFC coach just called out Reeves for allegedly copying his trademark move.
Top-tier coach Firas Zahabi, who trained UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre, is known for his unorthodox training methods. In a new video shared on the Tristar Gym YouTube channel, he spoke about his techniques and how some are not learned exclusively inside the gym. He also alleged that one of Reeves' moves inJohn Wickcame from Tristar. According to him, he put that particular “move out of circulation” because he had already stopped doing it, and Reeves allegedly copied it. “I’m going to show you a video of Keanu Reeves ripping me off. The man actually dared to rip me off,” he said. He added that he was used to white men stealing from him but not a fellow Lebanese. After learning that Reeves was born in Lebanon, he said, “I must insist that I collect from him.” He added:
When the white man steals from me, I’m not so upset; I expect it. But a fellow Lebanese, no, this cannot go unpunished.
Reeves was born in Beirut, Lebanon. However, he is not Lebanese since his mother is English and his father is of Hawaiian, Chinese, and English descent. He was also raised primarily in Canada and the United States. As for the move Reeves allegedly copied, he described it as a “great move” that he called “the web guard.” In the video, he showed a clip of him doing the jiu-jitsu move and a scene fromJohn Wick: Chapter 2employing the same move.
Perhaps Keanu Reeves Did Rip Off Some Jiu-Jitsu Moves, But What Does It Really Matter?
Zahabi shared the video because of an interaction with a Lebanese student also named Keanu. In the early part of the video, Zahabi mentioned that he was on the mat a few weeks ago with a student named Keanu. He asked him where he was from because he had been training with them for years. He learned he was Lebanese, so he wondered why he was named Keanu. The student explained it was because his parents were fans of Reeves, who was born in Beirut.
While Zahabi’s statement appears to accuse Reeves of stealing hisjiu-jitsu moves, he doesn’t sound serious about it. Also, there’s no way one can patent jiu-jitsu moves since it is considered a natural human motion. In fact, no one knows how many do the same move worldwide and who did it first. There were several hateful reactions in the comment section, accusing Zahabi of going after Reeves for money. However, a number also laughed it off, saying the move was from a stunt coordinator.
