Oba Femi

Last updated

Oba Femi
Birth nameIsaac Odugbesan
Born (1998-04-22) April 22, 1998 (age 26) [1]
Lagos, Nigeria [1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Isaac Odugbesan
Oba Femi [2]
Billed height6 ft 4 in (193 cm) [2]
Billed weight310 lb (141 kg) [2]
Billed fromLagos, Nigeria
Trained by WWE Performance Center [1]
DebutNovember 15, 2022 [1]

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.

Contents

Track and field

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]

Professional wrestling career

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]

Championships and accomplishments

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dijak</span> American professional wrestler

Christopher James Dijak is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he performs under the ring name Donovan Dijak and is a member of the World Titan Federation stable. He also currently works on the independent circuit. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring names Dominik Dijakovic, T-Bar, and Dijak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lyra Valkyria</span> Irish professional wrestler (born 1996)

Aoife Cusack is an Irish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Lyra Valkyria. She is a former one-time NXT Women's Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Briggs</span> American professional wrestler

Joshua Bruns is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Josh Briggs. He is signed to WWE where he performs on the NXT brand. In WWE, he is a one-time and the final NXT UK Tag Team Champion. He previously appeared for Evolve, where he was the final Evolve Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carmelo Hayes</span> American professional wrestler (born 1994)

Christian Brigham is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand, under the ring name Carmelo Hayes. He is a former one-time NXT Champion, a two-time and longest combined reigning NXT North American Champion, and a one-time and the final NXT Cruiserweight Champion, having unified it with the NXT North American Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roxanne Perez</span> American professional wrestler (born 2001)

Carla Gonzalez, better known by the ring name Roxanne Perez, is an American professional wrestler. She has been signed to WWE since March 2022, where she performs on the NXT brand. She is the NXT Women's Champion in her record-tying second reign, and a former NXT Women's Tag Team Champion with Cora Jade. Before signing with WWE, Gonzalez wrestled under the ring name Rok-C in Ring of Honor (ROH), where she was the inaugural ROH Women's World Champion. She also worked for several independent promotions such as Reality of Wrestling (ROW).

Joseph Ariola is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Tony D'Angelo. He is the current NXT North American Champion in his first reign. Working with a mafia gimmick, he is the leader of The D'Angelo Family stable as "The Don of NXT", and is a former two-time NXT Tag Team Champion and a one-time NXT Heritage Cup.

Oliver Sauter is a Swiss professional wrestler signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Oro Mensah as a member of The Meta-Four stable. He is also known for his time in NXT UK under the ring name Oliver Carter, where he became a one-time NXT UK Tag Team Champion alongside Ashton Smith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan Frazer</span> British professional wrestler

Benjamin Timms is a British professional wrestler signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Nathan Frazer and is one-half of the current NXT Tag Team Champions with Axiom in their second reign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chase University</span> Professional wrestling stable

Chase University, formerly known as Andre Chase University and usually shortened as Chase U, was a professional wrestling team that performed in WWE. The team's gimmick consisted of an educational university, with team founder Andre Chase serving as its dean and the rest acting as the students. They won the NXT Tag Team Championship twice.

Kayla Klingensmith is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Kiana James. She is a former one-time NXT Women's Tag Team Champion. She is currently inactive due to a leg injury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spring Breakin' (2023)</span> WWE television special

The 2023 Spring Breakin' was the second annual Spring Breakin' professional wrestling event produced by WWE. It was held primarily for wrestlers from the NXT brand division. Spring Breakin' aired as a special episode of NXT. The television special took place on April 25, 2023, at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida and aired on the USA Network.

Calyx Harmony Hampton is an American professional wrestler signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Sol Ruca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trick Williams</span> American professional wrestler (born 1994)

Matrick Mondre Belton is an American professional wrestler and former football player. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Trick Williams and is the current NXT Champion in his second reign. He is also a one-time NXT North American Champion and the winner of the 2023 Men's Iron Survivor Challenge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NXT Stand & Deliver (2024)</span> WWE livestreaming event

The 2024 NXT Stand & Deliver was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE for its developmental brand NXT. It was the fourth annual NXT Stand & Deliver event and took place on Saturday, April 6, 2024, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event aired via WWE's livestreaming platforms and was held as a part of WrestleMania Weekend, taking place the same day as Night 1 of WrestleMania XL with a special start time of 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Meta-Four served as the hosts of the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NXT Vengeance Day (2024)</span> WWE livestreaming event

The 2024 NXT Vengeance Day was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE. It was the fourth annual Vengeance Day event held for the promotion's developmental brand NXT, and the 12th Vengeance overall. The event aired via WWE's livestreaming platforms and took place on Sunday, February 4, 2024, at the F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville, Tennessee, marking NXT's first livestreaming event to be held in Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NXT Battleground (2024)</span> WWE livestreaming event

The 2024 NXT Battleground, was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE. It was the second annual Battleground held for the promotion's developmental brand NXT, and the seventh Battleground overall. In partnership with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), WWE's sister company under TKO Group Holdings, the event took place on Sunday, June 9, 2024, at the UFC Apex in the Las Vegas suburb of Enterprise, Nevada. It was WWE's first event held at the venue and aired via the company's livestreaming platforms. Rapper Sexyy Red hosted the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NXT Roadblock (2024)</span> WWE television special

The 2024 NXT Roadblock was the third annual NXT Roadblock professional wrestling television special produced by WWE, and fifth Roadblock event overall. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event took place on March 5, 2024, at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida and aired live as a special episode of NXT on the USA Network. The event's title was a reference to its position on the road to NXT Stand & Deliver, NXT's WrestleMania Weekend event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NXT Women's North American Championship</span> Professional wrestling championship in WWE

The NXT Women's North American Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is the secondary women's championship of the company's development brand, NXT. It is the first secondary women's championship in company history. The title was unveiled on April 6, 2024, and the inaugural champion was Kelani Jordan. The current champion is Fallon Henley, who is in her first reign. She defeated Jordan in a Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal: Spinner's Choice Gauntlet match that also featured Henley's Fatal Influence stablemates, Jazmyn Nyx and Jacy Jayne, at Halloween Havoc on October 27, 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spring Breakin' (2024)</span> WWE two-part television special

The 2024 Spring Breakin' was a professional wrestling television special produced by WWE for its developmental brand NXT. It was the third annual Spring Breakin' for the brand and aired as a two-part special episode of NXT on the USA Network. The event took place on April 23 and April 30, 2024, at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Oba Femi Profile". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 "Oba Femi". WWE. Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  3. ↑ Fameso, Funmilayo (November 23, 2022). "Meet Oba Femi, the Nigerian-born athlete that is the next big name in WWE". Pulse Sports Nigeria. Archived from the original on January 4, 2024.
  4. ↑ Fameso, Funmilayo (December 15, 2023). "Oba Femi: The 'Brute Force' in WWE NXT who embodies the fighting spirit of a Nigerian". Pulse Sports Nigeria. Archived from the original on January 4, 2024.
  5. ↑ Raimondi, Marc (December 8, 2021). "WWE signs 15 college athletes to NIL deals, eyes developmental pipeline". ESPN. Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  6. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (November 19, 2022). "NXT Level Up Results (11/18): Channing Lorenzo Faces Oro Mensah". Fightful. Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  7. ↑ Moore, John (April 25, 2023). "4/25 NXT TV results: Moore's review of Carmelo Hayes vs. Grayson Waller for the NXT Title, Indi Hartwell vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Tiffany Stratton for the NXT Women's Title, Bron Breakker vs. Andre Chase, Josh Briggs and Fallon Henley vs. Brooks Jensen and Kiana James, Cora Jade vs. Lyra Valkyria, Tony D'Angelo and Stacks Lorenzo vs. Pretty Deadly in a Trunk Match, Oba Femi debuts". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  8. ↑ Moore, John (January 2, 2024). "NXT TV results (1/2): Moore's review of New Year's Evil with Ilja Dragunov vs. Trick Williams for the NXT Championship, Lyra Valkyria vs. Blair Davenport for the NXT Women's Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  9. ↑ Moore, John (January 9, 2024). "NXT TV results (1/9): Moore's review of Tony D'Angelo and Channing Lorenzo vs. OTM for the NXT Tag Titles, Gigi Dolin vs. Cora Jade, the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament begins". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  10. ↑ Moore, John (February 4, 2024). "NXT Vengeance Day results: Moore's live review of Ilja Dragunov vs. Trick Williams for the NXT Title, Lyra Valkyria vs. Roxanne Perez for the NXT Women's Title, Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic finals". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  11. ↑ Moore, John (April 6, 2024). "NXT Stand & Deliver results: Moore's live review of Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes, Ilja Dragunov vs. Tony D'Angelo for the NXT Title, Lyra Valkyria vs. Roxanne Perez for the NXT Women's Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on April 6, 2024. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  12. ↑ Moore, John (April 9, 2024). "NXT TV results (4/9): Moore's review of the Stand & Deliver fallout show, Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin vs. Axiom and Nathan Frazer for the NXT Tag Team Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on April 10, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  13. ↑ Moore, John (April 30, 2024). "NXT TV results (4/30): Moore's review of Spring Breakin' Night Two with Oba Femi vs. Ivar for the NXT North American Title, Axiom and Nathan Frazer vs. AOP for the NXT Tag Team Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  14. ↑ Moore, John (July 7, 2024). "NXT Heatwave results: Moore's live review of Trick Williams vs. Ethan Page vs. Je'Von Evans vs. Shawn Spears for the NXT Championship, Roxanne Perez vs. Lola Vice for the NXT Women's Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  15. ↑ Moore, John (September 1, 2024). "NXT No Mercy results: Moore's live review of Ethan Page vs. Joe Hendry for the NXT Championship with Trick Williams as special referee, Roxanne Perez vs. Jaida Parker for the NXT Women's Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  16. ↑ Taylor, Sanchez (October 4, 2024). "WWE Star Ties Championship Record". WrestleTalk. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  17. ↑ Moore, John (October 8, 2024). "NXT TV results (10/8): Moore's review of Randy Orton vs. Je'Von Evans, Oba Femi vs. Tony D'Angelo for the NXT NA Title, Axiom and Nathan Frazer vs. A-Town Down Under for the NXT Tag Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  18. ↑ Chakrabarti, Shounak (October 9, 2024). "Oba Femi's Streak Broken On WWE NXT 10/08". Inside the Ropes. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  19. ↑ Berge, Kevin (October 27, 2024). "WWE NXT Halloween Havoc 2024 Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights". Bleacher Report . Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  20. ↑ Powell, Jason (December 7, 2024). "NXT Deadline results: Powell's live review of Trick Williams vs. Ridge Holland for the NXT Title, Iron Survivor Challenge matches, Jaida Parker vs. Lola Vice in an NXT Underground match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  21. ↑ PWI Staff (December 2024). "The 2024 PWI 500". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. 45 (9): 36.
  22. ↑ "NXT North American Championship". WWE . Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.