WWE Legend Predicts Oba Femi Will Become Hall Of Famer
Even though it’s very early in Oba Femi’s career, a WWE legend thinks Femi is on his way to a Hall of Fame career.
The rise of Oba Femi on WWE’s NXT brand has been incredible to watch. The 26-year-old Nigeran was a former shot putter at the University of Alabama when WWE scouts saw him and signed him in December 2021 as part of the NIL (Next In Line) program.
It was about a year after he signed his NIL deal when Femi made his television in-ring debut on the NXT Level Up show in November 2022. By January 2024, he won the Men’s Breakout Tournament and soon after that, he started a memorable reign as the NXT North American Champion.
Even though he hadn’t been wrestling for that long, Oba Femi had the NXT match of the year (as voted by the fans) at NXT Stand & Deliver with Josh Briggs and Dijak. This showed that Femi could really go in the ring and he wasn’t being pushed just because he’s 6’4″ and 300 pounds. He is really talented in the ring too.
At NXT New Year’s Evil show to start 2025, Oba Femi became the NXT Champion for the first time with a win over former champion Trick Williams and Eddy Thorpe. It was Femi’s first shot at the NXT Title and he left it as the new champion.
Booker T is a two-time WWE Hall of Famer who had a legendary career as an in-ring performer that lasted over 25 years in WCW, WWE and TNA. While speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast/radio show, Booker praised Femi heavily and said he would be a Hall of Famer too. As NXT’s analyst on commentary, Booker has been on hand for Femi’s entire run on the brand.
“Oba, he’s done so much so soon in his career. He seems like one of those guys that’s gonna have one of those Hall of Fame careers, and it seems like he’s gonna do it in about ten years [laughs], I’m serious.
“It’s something about these NIL guys, they pick it up so quick. They’re coming in, and they’re learning television. They’re learning how to go out and perform. Then they bring in such a realism to the game at the same time.
Big ups to this NIL program and Triple H and how they put this thing together. I swear it’s paying dividends. It’s working, and a guy like Femi, definitely I think is going to take this business by storm.”
Oba Femi’s First NXT Title Defense Announced
On this week’s WWE NXT broadcast in Orlando, Oba Femi started the show with an in-ring celebration as the new NXT champion. A former rival, NXT North American Champion Tony D’Angelo, bragged about beating Femi in the past and claimed he could do it again. Femi did not back down against D’Angelo, who ended up fighting with Ridge Holland at ringside.
While Femi had his back turned, Eddy Thorpe attacked Femi from behind. Thorpe also hit Femi in the back with a leather strap.
Later in the show, Femi demanded to NXT GM Ava that he wanted to defend the NXT Title against Thorpe. When Ava initially didn’t want to do it, Femi lifted Ava’s assistant Mr. Stone up against a wall and threatened to beat him, so Ava gave Femi the match he wanted.
That means that on the January 21st episode of NXT, Oba Femi will defend the NXT Title for the first time against Eddy Thorpe.