Oba Femi says way he vacated WWE NXT title was ‘really reassuring’
Being called up to the main roster without having to lose the NXT Championship was a “really reassuring” moment for Oba Femi.
In his final NXT match, Femi retained the NXT Championship against Leon Slater on January 6 and then vacated the title by leaving it in the ring. Femi is now on the WWE main roster and recently competed in the men’s Royal Rumble match, where he went toe-to-toe with Brock Lesnar before eventually being eliminated by him.
Femi appeared on No Contest Wrestling this week and discussed the manner in which he was called up.
“It feels very unique. It lets me know where the company kind of sees me caliber-wise, like where I am in the pecking order, which is really reassuring,” Femi said. “Very, very short list. I believe it’s me, Asuka, and The War Raiders [who were called up without losing their titles], if I’m not mistaken. That is a very, very short list. And it’s a privilege to be on that list. Not everyone gets to be on it. And it’s for a very good reason. I have to show everybody coming up to the main roster now that, like, that was done — it wasn’t just done for anybody. Like, you don’t just have like any regular old call-up on your hands. You have a superstar here. So I believe it was done for a good reason. And well executed too.”
Femi was a two-time NXT Champion, losing the title to Ricky Saints in September 2025 before gaining it back in December. Dropping the title when he did was not an issue at all for Femi.
“No. It’s a job. You understand? It’s a job. And I am very well aware of that,” Femi responded when asked if he was surprised when he lost the championship.
“Whatever the booker wants. Shawn [Michaels] has a vision, Triple H has a vision. And we’re all just like, I hate to say it, but we’re tools to execute the vision. When people lose sight of that, that’s when they get caught up in their feelings and stuff like that. So when I did that, I was like, ‘I’m sure there’s a good reason why.’ And I went with it and didn’t think too much into it.”
On the main roster, Femi is considered a “free agent” at the moment and has yet to be officially assigned to a brand.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.