Web Guard

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Summary

  • John Wick franchise continues to grow, with Chapter 5 confirmed despite Keanu Reeves claiming the character is dead.
  • UFC coach Firas Zahabi accuses Reeves of copying his jiu-jitsu moves in John Wick films.
  • Zahabi’s accusation sparks mixed reactions online, with some laughing it off saying the move was from a stunt coordinator.

It’s widely recognized that the John Wick action film series is currently one of the most highly-acclaimed. With the fifth installment on the horizon, there’s been a buzz about its lead actor, Keanu Reeves, being accused by someone of appropriating one of their unique moves in the series.

The film titled “John Wick” features Keanu Reeves in the lead role. He portrays the character John Wick, an ex-assassin who is compelled to re-enter the criminal world following a series of events involving the theft of his car and the murder of his beloved dog, a gift from his deceased spouse. The original “John Wick” movie debuted in 2014 and received positive reviews. Since then, four more sequels have been produced: “John Wick: Chapter 2” (2017), “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” (2019), and the latest installment, “John Wick: Chapter 4,” released in 2023. In an interview in March, Reeves expressed doubts about a fifth film because he stated that the character is deceased. However, Lionsgate announced the production of “John Wick: Chapter 5” at CinemaCon in April, with Reeves set to reprise his role and Chad Stahelski returning as director. Recently, a UFC coach accused Reeves of copying one of his signature moves.

Firas Zahabi, a renowned coach who has trained UFC legend Georges St-Pierre, is famous for his unique training approaches. In a recent video posted on the Tristar Gym YouTube channel, he discussed these methods and mentioned that some aren’t confined solely to the gym environment. He further claimed that a move from Keanu Reeves in the John Wick movie originated from Tristar, stating that he had retired this particular move, and Reeves supposedly replicated it. “I’m going to demonstrate a video of Keanu Reeves taking inspiration from me,” he said. He added that while he was accustomed to white men appropriating from him, it was unexpected coming from another Lebanese. Upon discovering that Reeves is Lebanese-born, he stated, “I feel compelled to collect from him.” He further explained:

I don’t get too worked up when someone of European descent takes something from me; I understand it happens. However, if it’s another Lebanese person, that’s a different story – it can’t be tolerated.

Reeves, who was born in Beirut, Lebanon, doesn’t identify as Lebanese because his mother is English and his father has Hawaiian, Chinese, and English ancestry. Instead, he spent most of his childhood in Canada and the U.S. Regarding the move Keanu Reeves is said to have copied, he referred to it as a “brilliant maneuver” known as “the web guard.” In the video, he demonstrated a jiu-jitsu move similar to this one and also displayed a scene from John Wick: Chapter 2 using the same technique.

Perhaps Keanu Reeves Did Rip Off Some Jiu-Jitsu Moves, But What Does It Really Matter?

Zahabi posted the video due to an encounter with a student called Keanu, who is actually from Lebanon. In the beginning of the clip, Zahabi spoke about having trained with this individual for many years and asked where he came from because he had been training with them for quite some time. Upon learning that Keanu was Lebanese, he found it intriguing since he’d always known him as Keanu. The student then clarified that his parents were fans of the actor Reeves, who hails from Beirut, which is why they named him so.

John Wick 5 is slated for release in 2026.

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2025-05-03 20:35