WWE and Nigerian giants: Omos and Oba Femi
Before now, Africa’s biggest export to the Stamford, Connecticut based global wrestling company, WWE, is Ghanaian Koffi Kingston.
In the last few years, two Nigerians joined the WWE roaster: Omos (Tolulope Omogbehin) and Oba Femi (Isaac Odugbesan), and now Oba Femi is the face of the global entertainment company.
For Omos and Oba Femi it has been different stroke for different folks.
However, despite Omos’ size, 7.3 feet tall and the push he got, he could not break in and become a ‘main eventer’. So many reasons could be responsible. WWE is scripted with the ultimate aim of entertaining those who buy tickets to watch either live or on pay per view.
To make it big on WWE, a wrestler must be big, strong, athletic, believable (since the show is scripted), and be good with words to cut promo. Omos has the size and strength, but lacks the spark of a wrestling superstar. He is not athletic, and can’t cut believable promos, making it difficult to connect with the audience. He has no X factor.
Enters Oba Femi. For an athlete who joined the company in 2021 and within five years rise to be at the main event of Wrestlemania (42) is unprecedented and very remarkable. How did Oba Femi achieved that?
Oba Femi is almost everything Omos is not. He is relatively much shorter at 6.6 feet tall. Although massively built, Oba Femi is also very strong and athletic. He has ring presence and cuts believable promos. And the icing on the cake is his intro music with Oba Femi Strut. He is the real deal. Triple H the creative director of WWE probably sees him as very good for business.
With Oba Femi, the crowd favourite and old war horse Brock Lesnar, was allowed to retire in peace. WWE has somebody to carry the company for the next decade – His name,
Oba Femi.
