The Process: Oba Femi and the Future

Oba Femi defended his North American title at NXT: Battleground. Now, the clock starts on his inevitable ascension to the main roster and certain superstardom.

Background

Before embracing the Oba Femi persona, Isaac Odugbesan starred in the shot put. For those who don't know, the shot put is an event that requires a sixteen-pound metal ball, resting on your shoulder. From there, the participant throws or puts the shot as far as they can. This field discipline requires total body strength, footwork, and technique. Odugbesan started at Middle Tennessee State University winning conference championships before landing at the University of Alabama, winning SEC championships.

Athletic Profile

From a physical standpoint, Femi profiles as a brutish powerhouse whose height and weight towers over the majority of his opponents. At six-foot-six and a lunch under 310 pounds, he carves a sharp silhouette in the ring. More importantly, he possesses fluid strength and explosion. That is to say, when he runs and executes a maneuver, it looks natural. Meaning, throughout the course of wrestling history we've seen power-based wrestlers lack the effective movement to tell a good story during a match.

The name Ted Arcidi comes to mind. In the 1980s, Arcidi set the world record with a 705-pound bench press. Arcidi wrestled in the WWF, WCCW, and even Calgary Stampede. His greatest contribution to the industry? Facilitating a meeting between Triple H, Chyna, and their eventual first wrestling trainer, Killer Kowalski.

In the ring, Arcidi could not run or move with believable pace and momentum. Meanwhile, Femi displays short area quickness, with the ability to make up ground, leading to excellent contact. For his size, widely-spaced sequences do not affect Femi. For example, when running into corner spots, the movement appears smooth and not labored. If Bron Breakker possesses the frame of a linebacker but runs like a wide receiver, Femi looks like an offensive lineman who runs like a linebacker. Additionally, his power allows for not only an exciting move but also opens the door to enhanced selling. especially versus large opponents. If a 260-pounder wants to try an aerial move versus Femi, they will trust that he will catch them while making them look good.

Persona

Femi presents as a massive heel who believes that his upward trajectory resides in divine intervention. The character truly believes that a deity blessed him and his path toward a title. Storylines and faces will always need to promo from underneath. Chicken-bleep heel work will never fit into Femi's programs. That sort of evil delusion annoys fans and will eventually lead to greater things. Unlike heel Apollo Crews who embraced his Nigerian roots with good ring skills and flawed presentation, Femi exudes that arrogant heelish in a better way. First, his accent is authentic. Remember, we heard Crews speak as a face, and his accent change did not take.

Weaknesses

Despite overwhelming physical attributes, Femi still needs a great deal of work before he sees a main roster call-up. First, while his promo work and persona feel like a loner wrestler, he needs a manager to start with. In all candor, the less Femi says, the more devastating his promo will evolve into. As a result, adding a mouthpiece to accelerate storylines will add depth to the story. Femi can use the duration of his NXT time to sharpen as much as possible.

Next, the selling aspect remains raw. Granted, monster heels should never flop about. However, permit the face to build up momentum by selling every successful move a bit more than the last. It builds fan reaction and could see either the continuation of a hope spot or snuffing one out, adding heat to a sequence.

Big Move

After roughly another year or so in NXT, Femi should make his main roster debut. Now, how should the WWE book his arrival? As always, vignettes touting his background and arrival start the process. Next, conducting something akin to the managerial sweepstakes for Bam Bam Bigelow seems appropriate.

To refresh your memory, in 1987, skits detailing the efforts of a slew of managers vying for Bam Bigelow's services hit the airwaves. This generated fan buzz regarding the incoming talent. In Femi, the WWE can replicate this scenario with a twist. Since managers remain in short supply, using stables to attempt to recruit him works in 2024. Granted, many people think that MVP is a natural transition from MVP works. Yet, the immobile Omos remains as MVP client. Instead, someone like Drake Maverick or Chad Gable fit. In Maverick, who currently works for WWE creative, he'd provide Femi with a sniveling manager who writes checks with his mouth that the wrestler cashes. In contrast, Gable wrestles as the lead of a stable consisting of himself, Femi, and the Creed brothers. Under these circumstances, Gable can pursue his singles exploits with Femi being eased into the main roster scene. Ideally, Femi would break from Gable, either making Gable a face again or trying the face route.

Overview

To steal a phrase, Oba Femi is a blue-chip prospect. Blessed with every physical attribute, all he requires is time to learn. Down in Orlando, the folks at the PC will take their time to ensure long-term success. In the future, and if he continues to progress this well, you can envision Femi capturing a couple of world championships. Overall, his ceiling remains in the hands of WWE Creative and adaptability.