More superlatives are trailing Nigerian-born grappler, Isaac Odugbesan (aka Oba Femi) following his epic victory over American icon, Brock Lesnar (The Beast) during the opening event of day two at World Wrestling Entertainment’s WrestleMania 42.
Sports247 reports that it took just five minutes for Oba Femi to justify all hype heralding his arrival into WWE’s spotlight and live up to his new nickname, The Ruler, as he knocked Lesnar out with his ‘Fall From Grace’ body slam.
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Oba Femi’s hype heading into the bout in the early hours of Monday was that he had not lost any fight since his call-up to WWE and, though he fell twice at NXT level, he was technically undefeated before WrestleMania 42 and he kept his status intact.
Lesnar’s years of experience did not make any difference against the rookie former Alabama University track and field shot put champion, who moved to the institution in the 2019/2020 season after his freshman campaign at Middle Tennessee State.
Odugbesan won the 2019 USA Conference championship in shot put and went on to finish fourth in the same event during the 2020 SEC indoor track and field championships during his debut season with The Crimson Tide.
He then won a third SEC indoor title in 2022 as a senior, with a school-record toss of 20.71 meters, after which he joined WWE as part of the company’s inaugural ‘Next In Line’ (NXT) class in 2021 and has since catapulted to stardom.
Fighting under the ring name ‘Oba Femi,’ the two-time NXT champion gave Lesnar a run for his money – with two choking clotheslines, a slam and a pinfall – in their epic fight at WrestleMania 42; leaving WWE stalwarts with a unanimous verdict that a new king is in the ring.
A citation by Teddy Ricketson read in part, “Femi is one of the most popular young wrestlers in the WWE. He blends his size and speed with an interesting character and has become a crowd favourite from his entertaining entrance.
“Femi typically has a calm demeanour. So, when he becomes intense in the ring, it is something the crowd can get behind. He is known as ‘The Ruler’ and has always been booked to be a dominant figure.
“Being only 27 years old, the prime of his career is ahead of him, and his match against Lesnar at WrestleMania is the biggest of his career so far. Femi is billed at 6-foot-6 by WWE. More realistically, however, he is probably closer to 6-4.
“His official height is not known for certain (while his weight) is billed at 310 lbs. Femi was signed as a member of NXT’s first classes. He reported to the WWE Performance Center in August 2022 to begin training after graduating from college.
“Femi started his collegiate career at the University of Lagos but, after one year, transferred to Middle Tennessee State University. After two years, he transferred again, this time to the University of Alabama.
“Femi ended up competing in collegiate athletics with The Tide for four years because of extra eligibility allowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. He eventually graduated with a degree in the visual arts in May 2022.
“Femi’s career with the WWE has been in two phases. He started at the company’s developmental brand called NXT. Femi had a 273-day title reign as the NXT North American Champion. He got called up to the main roster in early 2026.”
