Oba Femi
Femi in 2024
Personal information
Born Isaac Odugbesan
(1998-04-22) April 22, 1998 (age 28)
Lagos, Nigeria
Alma mater University of Alabama
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Isaac Odugbesan
The Ruler[1][2]
Oba Femi[3]
Billed height 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)[3]
Billed weight 310 lb (140 kg)[3]
Billed from Lagos, Nigeria[3]
Trained by WWE Performance Center[4]
Debut November 11, 2022

Isaac Odugbesan (born April 22, 1998) is a Nigerian professional wrestler and former shot putter. He is signed to WWE, where he performs under the ring name Oba Femi. He is a former two-time NXT Champion, and a former one-time NXT North American Champion.

Born in Lagos, Odugbesan competed in track and field during his high school and college years. After signing with the WWE in 2021 through its NIL program, Odugbesan won the 2023 NXT Men's Breakout Tournament and 2024 Men's Iron Survivor Challenge. In 2026, Femi rose to prominence by accepting Brock Lesnar's open challenge and defeating him at WrestleMania 42.

Early life

Isaac Odugbesan was born in Lagos on April 22, 1998,[5][6] the son of Maria and Niyi Odugbesan.[7] He has been a fan of professional wrestling since the age of six, with Triple H and The Undertaker being his favorite wrestlers.[8][9] Odugbesan attended the University of Lagos, where he won ten shot put medals in the Nigerian University Games Association during his freshman season in 2016.[10] In the fall of 2017, he relocated to the United States to attend Middle Tennessee State University on a track and field scholarship, being named Conference USA Male Freshmen of the Year and an outdoor first-team All-USA selection.[9][11] Odugbesan transferred to the University of Alabama in 2019,[7] where he majored in studio arts and won the shot put title at the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships in 2021 and 2022, also winning the outdoor title the year prior.[8][9] He graduated in May 2022 with a degree in visual arts.[12]

Professional wrestling career

WWE (2021–present)

NXT (2021–2026)

After participating in a WWE tryout in August 2021,[13] Odugbesan signed with the company on December 8 as part of its new Next In Line program to develop college athletes into potential WWE wrestlers.[4] In August 2022, he reported to the WWE Performance Center.[14] On the following month, Odugbesan made his first NXT on-screen appearance as a student of Chase University during a pep rally segment.[15] He made his in-ring debut at an NXT live event on November 11, losing to Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo.[16] Under the ring name Oba Femi, he made his on-screen ring debut on the November 18 episode of NXT Level Up, losing to Dante Chen.[17] In his formal NXT debut, Femi defeated Oro Mensah at Spring Breakin' on April 25, 2023.[18][19] After a hiatus from television, he won the 2023 Men's NXT Breakout Tournament by defeating Riley Osborne in the finals on January 2, 2024, at NXT: New Year's Evil, earning a contract for a championship opportunity for a title of his choosing.[8]

The following week, on NXT, Femi cashed in his Breakout Tournament contract and defeated Dragon Lee to win the NXT North American Championship, becoming the first Next In Line (NIL) program graduate to win a championship in WWE while also establishing himself as a heel.[20] Femi would go on to retain the title against Lee at NXT Vengeance Day on February 4,[21] Dijak and Josh Briggs in a triple threat match at NXT Stand & Deliver on April 6,[22] Wes Lee in a triple threat match (also involving Joe Coffey) at NXT Battleground on June 9 and a last chance match at NXT Heatwave on July 7,[23][24] and Tony D'Angelo at NXT No Mercy on September 1.[25] On October 5, Femi surpassed Wes Lee's 269 day title reign, becoming the longest-reigning NXT North American Champion.[26] At Week 2 of NXT's CW premiere on October 8, Femi lost the title to D'Angelo, ending his reign at a record 273 days and suffering his first loss in 2024 after a 30 match winning streak.[27] He failed to regain the title from D'Angelo in a Tables, Ladders and Scares match on October 27 at NXT Halloween Havoc after interference from The D'Angelo Family.[28]

Femi (right) confronting Je'Von Evans (left) in August 2025

Following a short hiatus, Femi returned at NXT Deadline on December 7, where he entered the Iron Survivor Challenge match in place of an injured Eddy Thorpe and won, earning an NXT Championship match at NXT: New Year's Evil on January 7, 2025,[29] where he defeated Trick Williams in a triple threat match also involving Thorpe to win the title, becoming the first NIL program graduate to win a top championship in WWE.[30][31] He successfully defended the title against Austin Theory and Grayson Waller in a triple threat match at NXT Vengeance Day on February 15.[32] As part of WWE's partnership with TNA Wrestling, Femi appeared on two episodes of Impact! in February.[33][34] At NXT Roadblock on March 11, Femi defeated TNA X Division Champion Moose to retain the title.[35] Over the following months, he successfully defended the title against Williams and Je'Von Evans in a triple threat at NXT Stand & Deliver on April 19,[36] Myles Borne at NXT Battleground on May 25,[37] Yoshiki Inamura at NXT The Great American Bash on July 12,[38] and Evans at NXT Heatwave on August 24.[39] At NXT No Mercy on September 27, Femi lost the NXT Championship to Ricky Saints, ending his first reign at 263 days,[40] but regained the title on December 6 at NXT Deadline.[41] As a result, Femi wrestled his main roster debut match against Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes in a non-title Champion vs. Champion match at Saturday Night's Main Event XLII on December 13,[42] which ended in a no-contest after interference from Drew McIntyre.[43] After successfully defending the title against Leon Slater at NXT: New Year's Evil on January 6, 2026, Femi left the NXT Championship belt in the ring.[44] The next day, it was revealed that Femi had officially vacated the title, ending his reign at 32 days.[45]

Main roster debut (2026–present)

Over the next several weeks, vignettes of Femi would be shown on both Raw and SmackDown, but not joining any brand. Femi entered the Royal Rumble as the first entrant, eliminating five wrestlers before being eliminated by Brock Lesnar.[46] On the March 16 episode of Raw, Femi answered Lesnar's open challenge for WrestleMania 42,[47][48] defeating him at Night 2 of the event on April 19.[49][50] After defeating Lesnar, Femi began an weekly open challenge series, first defeating Otis.[51]

Championships and accomplishments

Femi is a former two-time NXT Champion.
  • Pro Wrestling Illustrated
    • Ranked No. 14 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2025[52]
  • WWE
    • NXT Championship (2 times)[53]
    • NXT North American Championship (1 time)[54]
    • NXT Men's Breakout Tournament (2023)[8]
    • Men's Iron Survivor Challenge (2024)[29]
    • NXT Year-End Award (3 times)
      • Match of the Year (2024) – vs. Dijak and Josh Briggs at NXT Stand & Deliver[55]
      • Male Superstar of the Year (2024)[55]
      • Match of the Year (2025) – vs. Je'Von Evans and Trick Williams at NXT Stand & Deliver[56]

References

  1. ^ Corey, Brennan (April 18, 2026). "Paul Heyman: Oba Femi Calls Himself 'The Ruler' And That's Exactly What He Was Born To Do". Fightful. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  2. ^ Gomez, M. (February 20, 2026). "WWE Main Event recap: The Ruler arrives". Cageside Seats. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d "Oba Femi". WWE. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "WWE unveils inaugural NIL class". WWE. December 8, 2021. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  5. ^ Brennan, Corey (January 5, 2026). "Oba Femi: My Goal Is More To Let African Kids Know That You Can Dream Big And It's Possible To Become A Wrestler". Fightful. Retrieved March 28, 2026.
  6. ^ Hudspeth, Christopher (January 26, 2026). "Who Is Oba Femi? WWE's Next Big Force Will Make His Debut at the Royal Rumble". Netflix. Retrieved March 28, 2026.
  7. ^ a b "Isaac Odugbesan - Track & Field, Cross Country". Alabama Athletics. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d Mason, Matthew (January 3, 2024). "Former Alabama track and field star wins WWE NXT Breakout Tournament". The Crimson White. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c Vannini, Chris (July 12, 2025). "Oba Femi, All-America shot putter turned WWE rising star, has the NCAA's NIL era to thank". The Athletic. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  10. ^ Mason, Matthew (July 10, 2024). "From shot put champion to the WWE: the journey of Oba Femi". The Crimson White. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  11. ^ Stanton, Edwin (March 12, 2021). "Big Alabama Track Athlete also has a Deft Hand with a Paint Brush". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  12. ^ Varsallone, Jim (March 27, 2024). "Interviews with WWE's LA Knight, NXT's Oba Femi, MLW's AJ Francis, WOW's Genesis. Plus CCW 20". Miami Herald. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  13. ^ Salcedo, Denise; Guzzo, Gisberto (August 19, 2021). "Faith Jefferies And Isaac Odugbesan Offered WWE Developmental Contract During Las Vegas Tryout". Fightful. Retrieved March 28, 2026.
  14. ^ "WWE announces its newest class of recruits to join the WWE Performance Center". WWE. August 16, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2026.
  15. ^ WWE (September 27, 2022). Andre Chase rallies his students at Chase U Pep Rally: WWE NXT, Sept. 27, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2026 – via YouTube.
  16. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (November 12, 2022). "NXT Live Event Results From Dade City, FL (11/11): Bron Breakker Teams With Wes Lee And Odyssey Jones". Fightful. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  17. ^ Chik, Jon (November 18, 2022). "NXT Level Up results: Nov. 18, 2022". WWE. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  18. ^ DeFelice, Robert (April 19, 2023). "First-Ever Trunk Match, NXT Women's Title Bout, Oba Femi's Debut, More Set For NXT Spring Breakin'". Fightful. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
  19. ^ Aiken, Chris (April 25, 2023). "WWE NXT Spring Breakin' live results: Carmelo Hayes vs. Grayson Waller". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  20. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (January 10, 2024). "Oba Femi Cashes In Breakout Tournament Contract, Wins NXT North American Title On 1/9 NXT". Fightful. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  21. ^ DeFelice, Robert (February 5, 2024). "Oba Femi Successfully Retains NXT North American Title Over Dragon Lee At NXT Vengeance Day". Fightful. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  22. ^ DeFelice, Robert (April 6, 2024). "Oba Femi Retains NXT North American Title In Front Of Knuckles The Echidna At NXT Stand & Deliver". Fightful. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  23. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (June 10, 2024). "Oba Femi Retains NXT North American Title At NXT Battleground". Fightful. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  24. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (July 7, 2024). "Oba Femi Retains NXT North American Title At NXT Heatwave". Fightful. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  25. ^ Tessier, Colin (September 2, 2024). "Oba Femi Beats Tony D'Angelo, Retains NXT North American Title At NXT No Mercy". Fightful. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  26. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (October 5, 2024). "Oba Femi Becomes Longest Reigning NXT North American Champion". Fightful. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  27. ^ Renner, Ethan (October 8, 2024). "New North American Champion crowned on WWE NXT". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved October 4, 2025. Femi's first North American title reign ends at 273 days, plus D'Angelo handed Femi his first loss of 2024 in the title bout. Femi had been 30-0 across all matches in NXT this year.
  28. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (October 27, 2024). "Tony D'Angelo, With Help From The Family, Retains NXT North American Title At NXT Halloween Havoc". Fightful. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  29. ^ a b DeFelice, Robert (December 8, 2024). "Men's Iron Survivor Challenge Winner Crowned At NXT Deadline 2024". Fightful. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  30. ^ Rose, Bryan (January 7, 2025). "Oba Femi wins WWE NXT Championship at New Year's Evil". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  31. ^ Ucchino, Rick (January 14, 2025). "Exclusive: Oba Femi Paves The Way For Future WWE NIL Prospects". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  32. ^ DeFelice, Robert (February 16, 2025). "NXT Vengeance Day – NXT Championship – Oba Femi vs. Grayson Waller vs. Austin Theory Result". Fightful. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  33. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (February 21, 2025). "Oba Femi Appears On TNA iMPACT! Live". Fightful. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  34. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (February 28, 2025). "Oba Femi Teams With Hardy Boys In Main Event Of TNA iMPACT!". Fightful. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  35. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (March 12, 2025). "Oba Femi Retains NXT Title, Defeats Moose At WWE NXT Roadblock". Fightful. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
  36. ^ DeFelice, Robert (April 19, 2025). "Oba Femi Rules Over Je'Von Evans And Trick Williams, Retains NXT Title At NXT Stand & Deliver". Fightful. Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  37. ^ Thompson, Andrew (May 26, 2025). "Oba Femi Picks Up Win Over Myles Borne To Hold Onto NXT Championship At Battleground". Fightful. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  38. ^ Moss, Jeff (July 12, 2025). "WWE NXT Great American Bash live results: Three title matches". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  39. ^ Thompson, Andrew (August 24, 2025). "Oba Femi Def. Je'Von Evans To Retain NXT Title At WWE NXT Heatwave, Ricky Saints Confronts Femi Post-Match". Fightful. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  40. ^ Flanagan, Neal (September 27, 2025). "Ricky Saints dethrones Oba Femi at No Mercy to become NXT Champion". POST Wrestling. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  41. ^ Thompson, Andrew (December 6, 2025). "Oba Femi Def. Ricky Saints To Regain NXT Championship At WWE NXT Deadline". Fightful. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
  42. ^ Thompson, Andrew (December 6, 2025). "Oba Femi vs. Cody Rhodes Made Official For WWE Saturday Night's Main Event". Fightful. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
  43. ^ Sulla-Heffinger, Anthony (December 13, 2025). "John Cena's last match: Live results, updates, grades and highlights from WWE Saturday Night's Main Event". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  44. ^ Thompson, Andrew (January 6, 2026). "Oba Femi Leaves NXT Championship In The Ring After Retaining At New Year's Evil". Fightful. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  45. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (January 7, 2026). "Oba Femi Officially Vacates NXT Championship". Fightful. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  46. ^ Mahjouri, Shakiel (January 31, 2026). "2026 WWE Royal Rumble results, winners, grades: Roman Reigns, Liv Morgan earn spots at WrestleMania 42". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  47. ^ Riggs, Drake (March 17, 2026). "WWE Raw live results (March 16): Updates, grades and highlights tonight from San Antonio". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  48. ^ Russell, Skylar (March 16, 2026). "Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar Set For WWE WrestleMania 42". Fightful. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  49. ^ Sharma, Ishaan (April 19, 2026). "Oba Femi Defeats Brock Lesnar At WrestleMania 42". Fightful. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  50. ^ Currier, Joseph (April 19, 2026). "Oba Femi defeats Brock Lesnar in WWE WrestleMania debut". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  51. ^ Beaston, Erik. "WWE Raw Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights Before Backlash 2026". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  52. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2025". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
  53. ^ "NXT Championship". WWE. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  54. ^ "NXT North American Championship". WWE. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  55. ^ a b Lambert, Jeremy (January 1, 2025). "Joe Hendry, Dijak, Oba Femi, Roxanne Perez, More Win 2024 NXT Awards". Fightful. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  56. ^ Pollock, John (December 30, 2025). "WWE NXT 12/30 Results: Year-End Award Winners, Ricky Saints pins Je'Von Evans". POST Wrestling. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
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