Oba Femi

Oba Femi was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and developed an interest in professional wrestling at the age of six. Triple H and The Undertaker were among his favorite wrestlers. He attended the University of Lagos, where he won ten medals in the Nigerian University Games Association during his freshman season in 2016.

In 2017, he moved to the United States on a track and field scholarship at Middle Tennessee State University. He was named Conference USA Male Freshman of the Year before transferring to the University of Alabama in 2019. At Alabama, he won the SEC Indoor shot put title in 2021 and 2022 and an outdoor SEC title, while studying studio arts and graduating with a degree in visual arts in 2022. His parents are Maria and Niyi Odugbesan.

Odugbesan signed with WWE in December 2021 as part of the company's Next In Line program, which develops college athletes for professional wrestling. He reported to the WWE Performance Center in 2022 and made his in-ring debut on November 11 of that year. Using the ring name Oba Femi, he made his televised NXT Level Up debut against Dante Chen on November 18, 2022, and recorded his first NXT victory over Oro Mensah at Spring Breakin' in April 2023.

Femi won the 2023 Men's NXT Breakout Tournament by defeating Riley Osborne in the final at NXT: New Year's Evil on January 2, 2024. He used the resulting championship opportunity the following week to defeat Dragon Lee for the NXT North American Championship, becoming the first graduate of WWE's NIL program to win a WWE championship. His reign lasted 273 days, a record for the title, and included defenses against Josh Briggs, Dijak, Wes Lee, and Tony D'Angelo.

At NXT Deadline in December 2024, Femi won the Men's Iron Survivor Challenge and then defeated Trick Williams and Eddy Thorpe in a triple threat match to win the NXT Championship at NXT: New Year's Evil in January 2025. He later defended the championship against Austin Theory, Grayson Waller, Moose, Trick Williams, Je'Von Evans, Myles Borne, and Yoshiki Inamura. After losing and regaining the title, he vacated it in January 2026 before moving to WWE's main roster.

Femi entered the 2026 Royal Rumble as the first entrant and later defeated Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 42. He also faced Cody Rhodes in a champion versus champion match at Saturday Night's Main Event XLII. Femi won the 2026 King of the Ring tournament by defeating Jey Uso in the final, and subsequently defeated Lesnar in a Hell in a Cell match at SummerSlam.

In WWE, Oba Femi is a two-time NXT Champion and a one-time NXT North American Champion. He has also won the NXT Men's Breakout Tournament, the Men's Iron Survivor Challenge, and the 2026 King of the Ring tournament. His NXT North American Championship reign of 273 days was the longest in the title's history.

Femi received three NXT Year-End Awards. He won Male Superstar of the Year in 2024 and Match of the Year for matches at NXT Stand & Deliver in 2024 and 2025. Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranked him No. 14 in the 2025 PWI 500.