Nigerian NXT Champion Oba Femi: A 26-Year-Old Rising Star

March 13, 2026

This article was last updated by Pranaya Poudel on March 12, 2026

Isaac Odugbesan, known in the wrestling world as Oba Femi, is a Nigerian professional wrestler and former shot putter making waves in WWE’s NXT brand.

Born on April 22, 1998, in Lagos, Nigeria, Oba Femi’s ethnicity is Nigerian. He is the current NXT Champion.

Oba Femi’s parents are Maria Belleh Odugbesan and Niyi Odugbesan. His mother, Maria, was born in Ikeja, Nigeria, on September 10, 1966.

and a former Human Resources Manager in the restaurant and hospitality industry.

Information about his father, Niyi, is not widely available, as he maintains a private profile.

Femi excelled in track and field during high school, winning multiple medals in shotput.

Oba Femi at Middle Tennessee State University competing in shot put

This success led to a , where he won the Conference USA title.

He then transferred to the University of Alabama in 2019, where he continued his track and field career.

At Alabama, he won the shot put title at the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships in 2026 and 2026 and the outdoor title in 2026 before his graduation.

as part of the company’s Next In Line (NIL) program, designed to develop college athletes into professional wrestlers.

He made his in-ring debut as Oba Femi on November 18, 2026, on NXT Level Up.

Oba Femi Made His Official NXT Debut On April 25, 2026, Defeating Oro Mensah At Spring Breakin’

He entered the 2026 Men’s NXT Breakout Tournament, ultimately winning by defeating Riley Osborne on January 2, 2026, at NXT: New Year’s Evil.

Femi cashed in his Breakout Tournament contract to defeat Dragon Lee for the NXT North American Championship the following week.

He became the first NIL program graduate to win a title in WWE. He retained the title against Dragon Lee at NXT Vengeance Day.

Femi continued to defend his title successfully against Dijak and Josh Briggs in a triple threat match at NXT Stand & Deliver, Ivar at Spring Breakin’, Wes Lee at NXT Heatwave, and Tony D’Angelo at NXT No Mercy.

Femi surpassed Wes Lee’s record to become on October 5, 2026.

His reign ended after 273 days when he lost the title to Tony D’Angelo on October 8. This was his first loss in 2026 after a 30-match winning streak.

He failed to regain the title at NXT Halloween Havoc in a Tables, Ladders, and Scares match against D’Angelo.

At NXT Deadline on December 7, 2026, Femi replaced an injured Eddy Thorpe in the Iron Survivor Challenge match and won, earning an NXT Championship match against Trick Williams.

On January 7, 2026, he defeated Trick Williams and in a triple threat match to win the NXT Championship. He was the first NIL program graduate to win a top championship in WWE.

At NXT Vengeance Day on February 15, 2026, Femi successfully defended the NXT Championship in a triple threat match against Grayson Waller and Austin Theory.

Post-match, he was ambushed by Dion Lennox, Saquon Shugars, Culter James, and Osiris Griffin.

After Moose confronted Femi on the February 18 episode of NXT, he faced The System on the February 20 episode of TNA Impact!.

In Case You Didn’t Know

Oba Femi attended Proper Arsenal College in Lagos, Nigeria.
Femi ranked No. 53 among the top 500 singles wrestlers in PWI 500 for 2026.

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