I know I have been pretty Iowa State content heavy these past few weeks but if there is ever a day to talk about Iowa State wrestling it is today. Austin Gomez has decided to call it a career after suffering from another concussion. Gomez has been one of my favorite Cyclones over the past few years and here are the top reasons why.
2018 Cy-Hawk Dual
- The Hawkeyes had pretty much locked up yet another Cy-Hawk win making it I-don’t-even-know in a row. The dual meet started at 141 which made 133 the last match of the dual. The Cyclones were down 19-14 on the score card after Sam Stoll unexpectedly made a darth vader esque walkout to center mat and threw a wrench in the Cyclone upset. A couple matches later Austin Gomez was our only hope. Simple math would have it that a decision, major decision, and even a technical fall over Austin Desanto would not be enough. Gomez knew this, and decided it was time to pay the bills. Gomez put Desanto on his back for what seemed like an eternity and ultimately did not get the fall but without a doubt silenced Carver-Hawkeye arena in a very heated scenario. Hats off to Gomez for going for broke and giving Iowa State a chance.
Austin Gomez vs. RBY
- 2019 Southern Scuffle put the future of 133 pounds on public display. Daton Fix, Austin Gomez, and RBY all in the same bracket. Gomez faced RBY in the semis and was down 8-3 before going upper body and taking RBY feet to back. What made this a top Gomez moment for me wasn’t just RBY’s caliber but more so I am a sucker for pinfalls outside the circle. That rule change is one of the best rule changes in college history. (Drake Houdashelt had a pretty famous cradle outside of the circle in the first year of the rule, I believe.) Gomez also did this directly in front of the Penn State corner, and stood up and silenced the crowd with a patented finger over the lips shushing of the crowd. As an Iowa State homer, you love to see it.
Suavemente
- If you’re a fan of Latin music you might know this song. If you’re an Iowa State wrestling fan you definitely know this song because it was Gomez’s walkout song for the Cyclone home duals. The intro to this song will send shivers down your spine until you’re ready to put on your salsa dancing shoes and grab a dancing partner as soon as possible. Any man who is willing to put the metal and rap songs to this side and choose a song about kissing softly is a confident man if I have ever seen one.
Scared Money Don’t Make Money
- This is a direct quote from Gomez after his win over RBY, I believe, but ultimately became his mantra. This quote directly encompassed his style of wrestling and now that he is done with the NCAA hopefully he can find a way to monetize this gem.
Austin Gomez StaleMates Interview
- The reason I put this interview on the list isn’t to promote the interview that we did with Gomez but more so to shine some context on this interview. At the time that I had reached out to Austin Gomez we had ultimately no subscribers, like under 300 subscribers. Not much experience interviewing athletes, just coaches and a few other special guests. But nevertheless Gomez delivered and we thank him for being one of the many guests to come on the show and helping us continue this thing. We wish Austin the best in the next phase of his life and we hope he continues his Scared Money Don’t Make Money Lifestyle.
