WWE faces a growing problem with breakout star Oba Femi
Oba Femi's breakout main-roster run—capped by two wins over Brock Lesnar, a King of the Ring title, and retiring The Beast at SummerSlam—has left WWE with a pacing problem: the only logical next step is a top-title chase against Roman Reigns or CM Punk, yet the company looks set on a slow build toward WrestleMania 43. That gap between peak heat and the next coronation is the core issue, as detailed in Bleacher Report's analysis.
Key Takeaways
- Oba Femi beat Brock Lesnar in two of three 2026 matches and retired him in a Hell in a Cell bout at SummerSlam.
- He also won the King of the Ring tournament and drew strong fan support after a rapid main-roster push.
- WWE appears headed toward a January 2027 Royal Rumble win and a WrestleMania 43 title shot, nearly nine months away.
- A Bron Breakker program risks feeling like a step down while creative misfires could blunt Femi's aura.
- Je'Von Evans recently ranked Oba Femi alongside Lesnar among the strongest stars he has faced.
What exactly went right for Oba Femi so far?
According to Bleacher Report's Erik Beaston, Femi exploded onto the scene and, within three months of his main-roster call-up, defeated Lesnar clean in the center of the ring. He dropped the rematch, then closed their trilogy by ending Lesnar's Hall of Fame-worthy career inside Hell in a Cell at SummerSlam.
Lesnar himself framed Femi as a future star after that match. Femi also captured King of the Ring, cementing a booking path Bleacher Report calls an ideal way to announce "the next big thing." For more celebrity sports headlines, see our Celebrity Breaking News hub.
Why is that success now a problem for WWE?
When a new star immediately conquers a seemingly unconquerable veteran, momentum becomes harder to protect. Beaston argues the only logical next step is vanquishing Roman Reigns or CM Punk and claiming one of WWE's top two titles.
Instead, the company looks content with a slow build: Femi is likely to win the men's Royal Rumble in January 2027 and challenge at WrestleMania 43. With the Show of Shows nearly nine months away, the danger is that Femi loses steam before that coronation.
His brewing rivalry with Bron Breakker—two projected long-term pillars—already feels like a step down for "The Ruler," even if Breakker needs the spotlight. An unclean finish could keep them busy for months while fans wait for a Reigns showdown.
Can WWE creative protect Oba Femi's aura?
Bleacher Report notes WWE creative's uneven recent track record, citing Breakker's path: a WrestleMania 42 return, a Backlash win over Seth Rollins, a lost feud, and a subsequent tag pairing with Austin Theory. One loss or weak TV segment, Beaston warns, could damage Femi's popularity after Lesnar handed him the "new smashing badass" lane.
Femi did willingly give up a guaranteed title shot to face Lesnar at SummerSlam—a lapse Beaston says had little lasting cost. Holding him off as champion at WrestleMania next spring, the column adds, would only deepen WWE's growing problem.
Peer respect still backs the push. Je'Von Evans told The Sportster he would pick either Oba Femi or Brock Lesnar as the strongest WWE stars he has shared a ring with, citing their NXT history and Lesnar's F5 in the 2026 Royal Rumble—reinforcing why the company cannot afford to drift with its hottest new force.