Admittedly, the headline here does come off as inflammatory and dismissive of Oba Femi, especially a week after I asked how long it would be before fans turned fickle and started booing “The Ruler.”
Full disclosure: I’m all in on Oba Femi. He’s got size, presence, and charisma. Whether it happens this year at SummerSlam, next year at WrestleMania, or sometime down the road, he is going to beat Roman Reigns and replace him as the face of WWE.
Yet, I couldn’t help but side-eye him after he issued an
open challenge on Raw. The logic was somewhat sound: with WWE’s top champions either tied up or not issuing open challenges, he decided to put himself out there.
The issue, though, is twofold.
First, who is Oba Femi?
Yes, he’s a two-time NXT Champion who seemingly ended Brock Lesnar’s career. That’s impressive, but it’s not a full resume that guarantees anyone a major career boost just by beating him. Despite squashing Lesnar at WrestleMania 42, Femi himself is no closer to a world title match, even after calling out Reigns.
Second, did anyone see what Femi did to Grayson Waller this week on Raw? Waller basically got Lesnar’d. Through the lens of kayfabe, as a competitor, why would anyone want to face that wrecking ball when they could simply go around him?
Jacob Fatu beat Drew McIntyre at Mania, then went straight after Reigns. Ethan Page just arrived from NXT and is already chasing Intercontinental glory. Jacy Jayne, also fresh from developmental, pulled up to SmackDown and got into it with new Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley.
My point? There is more than one path to success, none of which requires passing through Femi.
The silver lining, if there is one, is that Femi could simply show up week to week and find he has nothing to do. That might build his aura as a monster while keeping him out of the ring long enough to make him an attraction.
Hell, it might even give Omos something meaningful to do. Last year, the two Nigerian powerhouses met at an NXT house show where neither clearly established dominance. Running it back at a premium live event could give Femi an impressive victory that keeps him warm until something bigger opens up.
Your Turn
Now, I turn it over to you, Cagesiders and Noble SubScribers: What do you make of Oba Femi’s open challenge? Sound off in the comments.
