Oba Femi
Nigerian professional wrestler (born 1998) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Isaac Odugbesan (born April 22, 1998) is a Nigerian professional wrestler and former shot putter. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Oba Femi. He is a one-time and the longest-reigning NXT North American Champion and the winner of the 2024 Men's Iron Survivor Challenge.
| Oba Femi | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Isaac Odugbesan |
| Born | April 22, 1998[1] Lagos, Nigeria[1] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Isaac Odugbesan Oba Femi[2] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)[2] |
| Billed weight | 310 lb (141 kg)[2] |
| Billed from | Lagos, Nigeria |
| Trained by | WWE Performance Center[1] |
| Debut | November 15, 2022[1] |
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Odugbesan had won several medals during his high school years, earning him a student-athlete scholarship at Middle Tennessee State University, winning the Conference USA title. Odugbesan then transferred to the University of Alabama in the summer of 2019, where he won the shot put title at the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships in 2021 and 2022, as well as winning the outdoor title in the latter year prior to graduation.[3][4]
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WWE (2021–present)
On December 8, 2021, Odugbesan signed with professional wrestling promotion WWE as part of its new Next In Line program to develop college athletes into potential WWE wrestlers.[5] Under the ring name Oba Femi, he made his in-ring debut on the November 18, 2022, episode of NXT Level Up, losing to Dante Chen.[6]
Femi made his formal NXT debut on April 25, 2023, at Spring Breakin', defeating Oro Mensah.[7] After a hiatus from television, Femi won the 2023 Men's NXT Breakout Tournament when he defeated Riley Osborne in the finals on January 2, 2024, at NXT: New Year's Evil.[8] He cashed in his Breakout Tournament contract the next week and defeated Dragon Lee to win the NXT North American Championship, becoming the first Next In Line program graduate to win a championship in WWE.[9] Femi would go on to retain the title against Lee at NXT Vengeance Day,[10] Dijak and Josh Briggs in a triple threat match at NXT Stand & Deliver,[11] Raw wrestler Ivar at Spring Breakin’,[12][13] Wes Lee in a last chance match at NXT Heatwave,[14] and Tony D'Angelo at NXT No Mercy.[15] On October 5, Femi surpassed Wes Lee's 269 day title reign, thus becoming the longest-reigning NXT North American Champion.[16] 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.[17][18] At NXT Halloween Havoc on October 27, Femi failed to regain the title from D'Angelo in a Tables, Ladders and Scares match after interference from The D'Angelo Family.[19] At NXT Deadline on December 7, Femi entered the Iron Survivor Challenge match in place of an injured Eddy Thorpe and won the match, earning an NXT Championship match against Trick Williams at NXT: New Year's Evil.[20]
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