Appropriately known as “The Ruler,” NXT Champion Oba Femi has reigned over WWE’s developmental brand, emerging as a top candidate for Wrestler of the Year honors. Yet his dominance has felt muted, recognized mainly by NXT’s most devoted fans.
But that silence won’t last forever.
Recently, Femi reached a significant milestone, celebrating his 200th day as NXT Champion. Currently holding the 10th-longest reign in the title’s history, he’ll jump to seventh place by the middle of next week. If he walks
out of WWE’s Heatwave on August 24 still holding the gold, he’ll rise to sixth, surpassing Tommaso Ciampa in just a few days.
The Ruler becomes The Man
Since winning the title in January at NXT’s New Year’s Evil, Femi has defended it almost 20 times across premium live events, TV, and house shows. His output has exceeded that of current or former WWE champions this year such as Gunther, John Cena, Jey Uso, and Cody Rhodes.
For fans of fighting champions, it’s a workload worthy of recognition. But numbers only tell part of the story, as Femi’s ring work shows why he’s special.
Only the Ruler is worthy!! pic.twitter.com/hj6NR1eYbJ
— Oba Femi wwe (@Obaofwwe) July 27, 2025
At nearly 6-foot-5 and well over 300 pounds, Femi, 27, might seem like a standard power wrestler — one who controls the pace and rarely sells for his opponents. While his matches typically run under 15 minutes, they’re densely packed with moments that showcase his ability and shine a spotlight on his opponents.
Last Tuesday on NXT, Femi successfully defended his title against Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura. Early on, Femi barreled through both men with a series of clotheslines before simultaneously chokeslamming Briggs and Inamura, their combined weight exceeding 500 pounds.
But as the match wore on, Femi took as much as he dished out, absorbing bumps and selling moves like few men his size can. He went up like a feather when Inamura hoisted him up for a sit-out powerbomb. Later, Femi created a dramatic false finish by narrowly kicking out of a pin attempt following a moonsault by Briggs.
WHAT. A. MATCH.
— WWE (@WWE) July 23, 2025
OBA FEMI IS STILL THE NXT CHAMPION!!! pic.twitter.com/qs4BLqANgM
As he often does late in matches, Femi surged. Following a flying forearm that plowed through Briggs, he pounded his chest in defiance. Then came the finish as the former shot putter launched Briggs into the air before delivering the Fall From Grace, his signature powerbomb, to retain the title.
For a wrestler with less than three years of experience, Femi’s instincts as a performer are remarkably advanced. His entrance is an experience, as fans chant in rhythm to his theme while he strides confidently to the ring. But to fully connect, he needs to make his facial expressions more visible while selling and engaging with the audience. Once he masters crowd psychology, he’ll be on his way to becoming one of the greats.
The future of Femi
Looking ahead, Femi will need to add at least two more names to his resume to cement his title run.
The first is North American Champion Ethan Page. Page, a former NXT champion with nearly 20 years of experience, delivers matches as polished as they are precise. He could help push Femi to his first true career-defining performance.
But more than anyone, Femi will need to defeat Trick Williams, the man he won the title from, to truly claim NXT as his own. At New Year’s Evil, Femi pinned Williams in a triple threat match involving Eddy Thorpe. While the result was definitive, it was far from a convincing win typically obtained in singles matches.
On top of what would already be the biggest match in NXT is the potential for a title unification, with Williams putting up his TNA World title against Femi’s NXT crown. The winner wouldn’t just walk away with gold — he’d leave with momentum, credibility, and a seemingly open road to becoming the future face of WWE.
Given his size, charisma, and on-screen maturity, Femi seems to be on his way to filling that role. A defining victory over Williams would cement his legacy as NXT’s most dominant champion.
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