LIHUE — After getting his first action in the ring in October, an aspiring pro wrestler was back at it.
Noah Gusman, 25, of Lihue, was part of a show put on by Oahu promotion Action Zone Wrestling on Nov. 21.
“It was good. It was good fun,” Gusman said Thursday.
Gusman, a Kauai High alumnus from 2010, took to the ring under the name “The Kauai Kid” Noah Kaho’omana.
At the Kroc Community Center Gym in Ewa Beach, The Kauai Kid grappled with AZW veteran Jafar the Butcher in the first bout of the night and entertained a crowd of at least 200.
Gusman said, however, Jafar the Butcher was not his scheduled opponent. His original opponent was supposed to be Bobby “The Lightning” Bolt.
“Well, I guess he had to tag with a partner,” Gusman said. “So then, I got Jafar the Butcher instead. … He’s a beast.”
Whereas Jafar the Butcher is a big and imposing figure, Gusman — who’s listed at 6-feet tall and weighing 215 pounds — battled back with quick maneuvers.
“It was a struggle at first. He’s a huge dude. Like 300 pounds,” Gusman said. “It’s hard to move a guy like that. The whole time, I was just using speed to counter — to counter his power moves. But like I said, it was a struggle.”
At the end of the six-minute match, though, the Kauai Kid fell via pinfall following Jafar’s finishing move, “The World’s Strongest Slam.”
“I tried to catch him at first by outmaneuvering, but he caught me. And then he gave me a couple of good (head-butts) in the chest, and he gave me a splash in the corner with his whole bodyweight,” he said. “I took that, and that hurt.”
It was just his third time in action. In October, Gusman traveled to Oklahoma for a couple of shows and made his ring debut.
Gusman looks to be back in the ring soon — possibly as early as next month. He hopes to one day be in the main event of a show.
“Just being in the ring in general, every time I can get in the ring, I can get better,” he said. “I’m trying to get back to Oklahoma in January. But if that doesn’t work out, I’ll go back to Oahu for another match.”
