Who is Oba Femi? Meet Nigerian SEC shot put champ who is challenging Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania
It is finally WrestleMania weekend.
While the build has been lackluster for the Raw and SmackDown brands, one storyline has been especially entertaining. The rookie Oba Femi, who has only been up on the main roster for a few months, is going to go head-to-head with «The Animal» Brock Lesnar.
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Femi and Lesnar have both been booked strongly in their careers, with Lesnar’s success being sustained over the two decades he has been in the business. Both wrestlers are extremely physical and move well for their size, adding to the anticipation for what will happen when they duke it out at WrestleMania.
Many wrestling fans are very familiar with Lesnar, but casual fans who didn’t follow Femi’s career on the NXT brand may not be as familiar with the fresh face competing on a big platform.
Here is more on Femi, who will be taking on Lesnar at WrestleMania.
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Who is Oba Femi?
Femi is one of the most popular young wrestlers in the WWE. He blends his size and speed with an interesting character and has become a crowd favorite from his entertaining entrance. Femi typically has a calm demeanor, so when he becomes intense in the ring, it is something the crowd can get behind.
He is known as «The Ruler» and has always been booked to be a dominant figure. Being only 27 years old, the prime of his career is ahead of him, and his match against Lesnar at WrestleMania will be the biggest of his career so far.
What is Oba Femi’s real name?
Femi’s real name is Isaac Odugbesan. His parents’ names are Niyi and Maria Odugbesan.
How tall is Oba Femi?
You have to to take wrestlers’ billed height and weights with a grain of salt. They typically aren’t egregiously off, but sometimes inflating the numbers can help add to a character’s presence.
Femi is billed at 6-foot-6 by WWE. More realistically, however he is probably closer to 6-4. His official height is not known for certain.
How much does Oba Femi weigh?
Similar to height, billed weight can also sometimes be skewed. Femi is billed at 310 lbs.
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WWE NIL program
While the initials are the same, this does not stand for Name, Image and Likeness, as we are used to in college athletics. Instead, this program with the WWE is called «Next in Line.» The WWE realized that there are incredibly athletic college athletes who will not be pursuing a professional career in their area of expertise. Athletes interested in trying out for the WWE may be considered for the program.
The program was established in December 2021, and Femi was signed as a member of one of its first classes. He reported to the WWE Performance Center in August 2022 to begin training after graduating from college.
Where did Oba Femi go to college?
Femi started his collegiate career at the University of Lagos, but after one year, transferred to Middle Tennessee State University. After two years, he transferred again, this time to the University of Alabama. Femi ended up competing for the Tide for four years because of extra eligibility allowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. He eventually graduated with a degree in the visual arts in May 2022.
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Oba Femi shot put career
The early part of Femi’s shot put career is unknown. He was part of the track and field team at the University of Lagos and specialized in shot put.
As a freshman in 2016, he won ten shot put medals at the Nigerian University Games Association. His success led to his moving to the United States. He joined Middle Tennessee State and re-classed, becoming the Conference USA’s Male Freshman of the Year in 2017. After two years, he went to the University of Alabama. Femi won the shot put title at the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships in both 2021 and 2022.
His winning shot put distance in 2021 went 20.50m, and his 2022 championship-winning shot went 20.71m. To put it another way, his winning shot put traveled 67.25 feet and 67.9 feet, respectively.
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Is Oba Femi undefeated?
Femi’s career with the WWE has been in two phases. He started at the company’s developmental brand called NXT. Femi had a 273-day title reign as the NXT North American Champion. He got called up to the main roster in early 2026. Femi has not lost a match since his call-up and is technically undefeated heading into his match with Lesnar at WrestleMania. Since his call-up, he has a 5-0 record in official matches.
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Oba Femi WWE entrance, explained
Everything involved with a wrestler is part of their character. It includes how they carry themselves, how they respond and how they engage the crowd. While they can be known for a catch phrase or a signature move, other wrestlers have risen to popularity because of their entrances.
Femi has one of the most popular entrances in the WWE. It is easy to see why. The entrance starts with the arena lights going out. His entrance music starts, and the lights turn a mix of green and yellow. The music swells, then creates a little beat with the drums. In between the beats, the crowd whoops. Femi appears, backlit, so you can only see his silhouette. Some fireworks go off, the lights come up, and there is Femi.
He starts matching to the ring, and the crowd continues to chant and emulate the way that his arms swing in front of his body. Femi continues this march all the way to the ring as the crowd begins to chant «Oba» rhythmically.
What is Oba Femi’s signature move?
Many wrestlers give their signature or finishing moves unique names so they can be identified and apply only to that wrestler. For example, Randy Orton’s finisher is known as the RKO, which is just his character’s initials. Stone Cold Steve Austin had the Stone Cold Stunner.
Femi’s finisher is called «Fall From Grace». It is a pop-up power bomb with an extension at the top. Those familiar with WWE finishers may see a similarity to The Undertaker’s Last Ride power bomb, and it could be an homage to that, as The Undertaker was one of Femi’s favorite wrestlers when he was a kid.
Once Femi lifts his opponent, the landing can take different forms. He has done a sit-down powerbomb like the clip below, and also the powerbomb where Femi lands on his knees.
Where is Oba Femi from?
Femi was born in Lagos, Nigeria on April 22, 1998 and is just 28 years old. He went to the University of Lagos, participating in the shot put event. As a sophomore, Femi moved to the United States and went to Middle Tennessee State University, and he re-classified. He then went on to be on the track and field team at Alabama two years later.
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