Fast-rising Nigerian professional wrestler, Isaac Odugbesan (aka Oba Femi), has gained a strong tip to headline all bouts on the night during next year’s WrestleMania with a fight against current world heavyweight champion, Roman Reigns.
Sports247 gathered that, although Oba Femi has not had any serious fight since his last epic victory in July, he was back in the ring this past Saturday and used the opportunity to call out Reigns for a titanic showdown later this year.
Heading into the much-expected face-off between both icons of the ring, Oba continues hogging headlines as the current face of the vastly popular World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), whose moguls are reportedly arranging the Nigerian macho giant as their latest marquee star in the roped square.
With Oba Femi now rated as WWE’s most marketable fighter into the near future, the maverick wrestling body is also reportedly stylishly lining him up for big money outings next year in oil-rich Saudi Arabia.
Those permutations are now tilting towards ‘The Ruler’ coming up against another formidable grappler, Drew McIntyre, at WWE Royal Rumble in February, following which he will get the ultimate tango versus Reigns during WrestleMania 43 in April.
With those mouthwatering bouts looming large, WWE are apparently keeping Oba Femi fresh to explode at the right time, hence his lack of regular fights after winning WWE Money In The Bank 2026, but he resumed his hype last weekend and targeted Roman Reigns, saying: “Tribal Chief, no more running. It’s about that time.”
Following another appearance in the ring this past Monday for a verbal exchange on RAW, a report from Wrestling Observer Radio indicates that WWE is using such outings to build up Oba Femi’s image and draw more reactions in his favour from the crowd.
In the same vein, WWE are not planning any singles match for Oba Femi in their upcoming Survivor Series, during which Reigns is set to compete in a 10-man WarGames tussle, while keeping him apart from ‘The Ruler,’ whom he defeated in two previous fights earlier this year.
The first was at WWE Backlash in May, when Reigns won in a Falls Count Anywhere fight, followed by another tussle during an epic Raw-Network Event in June, when he retained the World Heavyweight Championship against Oba Femi in an Extreme Rules, submission-oriented contest.
A report by PW Media noted that Oba defeated Bronson Reed during last Saturday’s premium live event before turning his attention towards Roman Reigns during his post-fight talk, but observers insist he only did that in order to create bolts of excitement in the crowd.
Fight expert Dave Meltzer added during the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, “WWE’s current plan is to hold the Femi versus Reigns encounter at WrestleMania rather than during the next premium live event cycle. The plan is for WrestleMania 43.
“He just got excited because the fans all wanted it. He had to respond, and he did. But, by responding, he said, ‘I want that title.’ It makes everyone think, oh, he’s gonna get the title shot in the next pay-per-view cycle, which obviously he is not.”
Sports247 gathered further that WWE plans on building hype toward the match over a longer period, while Femi continues his storyline, to which he added Paul Heyman during the October 12 episode of Monday Night Raw.
, has gained a strong tip to headline all bouts on the night){kind=link}