The All-Valley tournament is the ultimate test of martial skill, strength, and speed in the entire franchise. Many of the best martial artists train day and night for a chance to step onto the mat and prove themselves karate masters in their own rights.
However, some champions are a lot more memorable than others. Some champions get their entire stories laid out for the audience, while others are merely stepping stones for developed characters to overcome. Whatever the case, they are among the strongest fighters in Cobra Kai. It's just a matter of who among them ends up on top.
Xander Stone
Xander Stone only had a brief but admittedly entertaining stint as the All-Valley champion. When the audience first sees him, they are introduced to a rather pompous teen, with high-minded speeches that annoy both Daniel and Johnny. Despite his pomp, however, Xander Stone was still an All-Valley champion, a fact that his mother would tell anybody nearby. Miguel found himself struggling against this high-flying martial artist, but eventually, Miguel's practical style won out.
Xander Stone is a bit of a mirror to another All-Valley champion, Darryl Vidal. Both were incredibly skilled defending champions who used flashy footwork and were defeated by a Cobra Kai prodigy. Unfortunately, Darryl wins out over Xander because Xander lost to a relative newcomer. Not to mention, Darryl may have been flashy, but he was much more practical than Xander and actually beat Johnny for the All-Valley title the year previous. Miguel is a good fighter, no question, but he was much less experienced than Johnny was in 1982.
Darryl Vidal
Darryl Vidal is a name most casual fans of the series have probably already forgotten. It's understandable as he had the unenviable task of existing to make Johnny Lawrence look strong in the narrative. That said, it's not to say his match wasn't a treat to watch. Darryl Vidal, played by, surprise, Darryl Vidal, was essentially portraying an overconfident version of himself. His fancy footwork meant Johnny's practical and ruthless style overcame his flashy move set. Of course, Johnny still respected him enough to shake his hand, which is a feat in of itself.
Darryl Vidal might not be as memorable as the other All-Valley Champions, but it's important to remember that he was still a champion. Johnny Lawrence actually lost to him in the 1981 All-Valley Tournament, based on what Kreese said to Robby. If a martial artist is impressive enough to warrant Kreese remembering their name, then they must be doing something right. Darryl Vidal is actually a legitimate martial artist and as of 2012, is a tenth-degree black belt. For context, he was already a first-degree black belt in 1982.
Tory Nichols
Tory is the first-ever female All-Valley Tournament champion, and there are few who could say she doesn't deserve the title. Tory's brash bruiser style has gotten her many victories in both matches and street fights against other skilled martial artists. After showing up in season 2, Tory's training throughout season 4 to temper her aggression with real techniques has only made her even more dangerous than ever before. Pair Tory's growing martial skill and superior physicals against the hot-headed Sam of season 4 and her win was definitely deserved.
Despite her efforts, the audience can't know for sure what a clean tournament match between Sam and Tory would have looked like, thanks to Terry Silver's dirty tactics. If the referee can't be trusted, then her first victory is, unfortunately, tainted by the underhanded nature of it. That said, while the referee means the match was by its nature not fair, Tory did beat Sam through pure skill on the final point, and that shouldn't be discredited.
Eli Moskowitz
Hawk is the most well-rounded All-Valley champion of the modern-day by virtue of his journey. Hawk has gone through three different senseis, and that has given him an edge in technique and training. Johnny taught him how to strike first, Kreese taught him to show no mercy, and Daniel thought him some amazing defense. Eli has grown as a fighter in a similar path to Robby, but unlike him, Eli managed to find his inner peace. The ability to stay grounded won him the All-Valley tournament.
There's a bit of an asterisk next to Eli's victories because he wasn't able to fight a Miguel who was at his peak. Miguel has had more wins over Eli both on the mat and in street fights. Miguel's match with an Eli who was much more in tune with himself showed him struggling, and back injury or not, putting Miguel on the backfoot is an impressive feat. That said, it's not easy to say who would have won their match had it continued, but there's no doubt Eli is deserving of his win against Robby.
Miguel Diaz
Miguel Diaz was the first All-Valley champion of the series, and few can say he doesn't deserve it. He fought a good fight against Robby, and his superior martial skill won out over Robby, who is a prodigy himself. Not to mention, Miguel has never been beaten in a clean fight both on the mat and on the streets. His reputation is such that when Eli faces up against him in the finals, Demetri reminds him of the fact. However, Miguel's back injury has severely affected his ability to fight.
There is no question that at his peak, Miguel was likely on the way to being one of the greatest All-Valley martial artists. Most would say he already is one of the greatest. He's beaten both Robby and Eli multiple times before and they were both All-Valley finalists. However, his injury has prevented him from showing off his best. It's honestly a toss-up between who is stronger between Eli and Miguel, but until he recovers both physically and mentally, there's no saying for sure.
Johnny Lawrence
Johnny Lawrence is a two-time All-Valley champion, the only other named person to be so besides Daniel LaRusso, his karate rival. As a teenager, he showed great dedication to training and is praised by Kreese, a hard-to-please sensei. In many ways, Johnny is Kreese's greatest student. In fact, Johnny is directly responsible for training two All-Valley champions for a significant amount of time, Eli Moskowitz and Miguel Diaz. However, there are a few things holding him back from being the greatest champion.
For starters, fans don't actually see the two victories that Johnny Lawrence had in the franchise. Although viewers can trust Kreese and Tommy's words on the matter, it's another to see it in action. The audience has no real idea of how the fights went, how close Johnny cut it, and how much experience his unknown opponent had. That being said, winning the title two times in a row is a feat only the greatest martial artists in the valley can boast of.
Daniel LaRusso
The Karate Kid himself, Daniel LaRusso is the greatest All-Valley champion for several reasons. Although he has only trained one champion, his own victories are not only well-documented but much more dangerous than any of the other championship tournament matches. Daniel LaRusso's a prodigy, with an ever so slightly more impressive record of martial artists beaten compared to every other All-Valley champion.
Daniel has won against a two-time All-Valley champion (Johnny Lawrence), a brutal and underhand fighter who is much more physically imposing (Mike Barnes), and a martial artist who was aiming to actually kill him (Chozen). In all three instances, he won 0ut through technique and a surprising amount of grit. While he may be stubborn in his methods of teaching only Miyagi-do self-defense, there's no denying how effective it has been for Daniel all throughout the franchise.