Oba Femi: what did the new North American Champion do before joining WWE?

Oba Femi has emerged as a rising star in WWE since his debut on November 18, 2022, on NXT Level Up, building a significant presence in the wrestling scene. In January 2024, Femi capitalized on his Breakout Tournament contract, securing his first title, the NXT North American Championship, by defeating Dragon Lee.

Also known as Isaac Odugbesan, Oba Femi has a highly inspiring wrestling journey in WWE. Starting with a student-athlete scholarship at Middle Tennessee State University, he has overcome challenges to proudly achieve the status of North American Champion.

What did Oba Femi do before joining WWE?

Oba Femi, also known as Isaac Odugbesan, is a Nigerian-born athlete who relocated to the USA for a promising sports career. At the University of Alabama, the 22-year-old showcased his athletic prowess by winning the SEC Indoor Track in 2021 and the Field Championships in 2022.

WWE talent scouts took notice of his talent, impressed with his skills, and signed him in December 2021 as part of WWE’s ‘Next In Line’ program. Femi’s debut match was against Oro Mensah in NXT on April 25, 2023, where he displayed his in-ring attitude and secured victory with a pop-up powerbomb.

After a hiatus from wrestling, in December 2023, Isaac entered the 2023 Men’s NXT Breakout Tournament. With eight participants at the beginning of the tournament, Femi came a long way to win the contract.

Oba defeated Myles Norne first, then in the semi-finals, he faced Tavion Heights, and in the finale, he faced Riley Osborne. In all three matches, he outmaneuvered his opponents to finally become the victor of the tournament.

In an interview with NXT Exclusive, Oba Femi was asked how he would win the Men’s NXT Breakout Tournament, to which he said, “NXT is lacking in one department severely, and that is the department of brute force. Nobody’s brutal anymore. Everybody’s soft, everybody is determined, and everybody is trying to get to the end by the soft means. But that is exactly what Oba Femi has to offer. That is exactly what I’m bringing to the Men’s Breakout Tournament. Brute force.”

Oba Femi creates history on WWE NXT

In the most recent episode of NXT, which featured NXT New Year’s Evil, Dragon Lee was seen defending his NXT North American title against Lexis King, where both wrestlers used their arsenal of skills to beat one another.

However, in the end, Lee took the win by successfully retaining his title, until Oba Femi used his NXT Men’s Breakout Tournament contract to fight Dragon Lee and after a single pop-up powerbomb he took the title under his belt.

He has made his place in history as the youngest NXT North American Champion at just 22 years old. The Nigerian athlete’s win is historic for the company as he is the first superstar to win the championship through the ‘Next In Line’ program talent acquisition.

Oba Femi has proven himself worthy to the WWE Universe, after his fight against Dragon Lee, from Breakout star to Champion, his journey proves that anything is possible. Fans are eager to see how the new NXT North American Champion proceeds compared to his predecessor.