Things often move quickly in NXT, WWE’s developmental brand. Yet one man has kept the men’s division tightly in his grip, holding the prestigious NXT Championship — the one previously held by the likes of Seth Rollins and Finn Bálor — for nearly the entirety of 2025.
It isn’t that Oba Femi has been short of competitors. Over the past eight months, he’s faced challengers from both NXT and WWE’s main roster, as well as stars from two partner promotions (namely TNA and Pro Wrestling NOAH). In total, he has mounted eight title defenses. That's more than any other current champion in WWE or NXT.
It’s a stunning record, but not one that can allow for complacency. “In the past few months, I haven’t been facing the cream of the crop, but that is changing now,” Femi said, speaking from WWE’s performance center in Orlando, Florida, ahead of NXT Heatwave on Sunday. “We’re entering a phase where the best names are stepping up, and I have to be on my A-game.”
Staying on top of your game is one thing — the sort of mindset that comes second nature to a 27-year-old former SEC shot put champion — but preparing for a match usually requires knowing who your opponent will be. He won't know that until Tuesday when former NXT champion Trick Williams will battle rising star Je’Von Evans. The winner will get the right to challenge Femi at the Heatwave PLE in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Under normal circumstances, that would beg the obvious question: Which of the two does he regard as the biggest threat? But the NXT champion has an ace to play on that front. “I mean, I have beaten them both before,” Femi said, recalling his successful defense over both men in a triple-threat main event at this year’s Stand and Deliver (the biggest PLE on the NXT calendar) during WrestleMania 41 weekend in Las Vegas.
“Personally, I see the match going more towards Trick as he’s the more seasoned guy. But Je’Von is also very hungry, so it’s hard to know which one will win on the night,” Femi said. There’s a personal dimension too: NXT followers will remember it was Williams whom Femi defeated back in January to win the title in the first place — something he suspects still chips at the pride of the former champion.
“Trick is having a phenomenal run with the TNA Championship, but I know for sure it still lingers in the back of his mind that he couldn't be the No. 1 guy in NXT," Femi said. "I know he’s trying to rectify that now, which is why he’s made the U-turn to come back to me. But he should know it’s a dead end, my friend — just keep on driving.”
Some have suggested Williams may be playing a longer game. In particular, there are rumors the NXT veteran could be in cahoots with DarkState — the thuggish upstart faction that has been launching attacks on various NXT talents while leaving Williams largely unscathed. Yet Femi disagrees: “Trick is such an egomaniac that I just don’t see him working with anyone else.”
As for Evans, Femi is happy to praise the prodigious 21-year-old who has made such an impression on NXT. “I strongly believe that Je’Von is the future. But it’s my job to delay that future for now,” he said. “He’s young, he’s fresh and he’s different. No doubt he’s the real deal. But he still has a lot of growing up and learning to do.”
Then again, Femi knows as well as anyone how quickly you can learn in NXT. Having first signed for the WWE’s Next in Line program in 2021, he went from making his television debut in late 2022 to winning the NXT North American Championship within 18 months. At 6-foot-6 and 310 pounds (WWE’s billed weight for him), he was always going to look imposing — but he seemed to have the tell-tale confidence of a future star from the moment he saw the hard-cam.
By the time he became Iron Survivor (one of NXT’s most prestigious designations) in 2024, a main championship reign looked inevitable at some point in the future. In the end, it took just one month, with Femi becoming NXT champion at this year’s New Year’s Evil event, defeating Williams and Eddie Thorpe in a three-way war.
Naturally, the expectation is he will put his stamp on WWE’s main roster before long.
Given the ease he can throw grown men like pillows off a hotel bed, some have even made the comparison to Brock Lesnar — something Femi has always downplayed in previous interviews. Yet on this past week’s NXT, Femi referred to himself and his tag partners as the “alpha males of our species” — a phrase usually associated with the great Brock Lesnar. Was the echo deliberate?
“I did use the phrase, but it’s not like it’s his catchphrase or anything,” he said. “I certainly wasn’t looking to make a comparison between us, or to put myself in the same spotlight. I have always said Oba Femi is his own thing, and Brock Lesnar is his own thing.”
In terms of the man behind the title, Femi (real name Isaac Odugbesan) remains a big advocate for WWE’s NIL program — the latest iteration of a longstanding outreach strategy to promising college athletes. “I hope a lot of athletes would look at my story and my success and they would know that WWE is a great option for you as an athlete,” he said. He predicts NIL will leave a lasting impact on WWE in the years to come, even if the exact shape of the program adapts.
In terms of his time in pro wrestling, he points to his feud with Tony D’Angelo (who beat Femi for the NXT North American Championship) as a career highlight, as well as being the first big competitor for Jasper Troy — the inaugural winner of "LFG," WWE’s new reality competition show.
“Beating Jasper was a proud moment, because so many people had been talking him up as the man to take me off the throne,” he said. “WWE fast-tracked him into LFG and he went on to win the damn thing. Next thing I know he’s getting an NXT title shot after just five televised matches — so the pressure was definitely on for both of us.”
Should Femi prevail at Heatwave, perhaps he and Troy will collide again before long. Either way, it’s clear “The Ruler” is keeping a close eye on anyone who could be his next competition. And with NXT now partnering with several other promotions, including the Mexico-based AAA, the next threat could come from anywhere.
Still, if there's one thing about being at the top, it does give you one hell of a vantage point to watch what’s going on elsewhere. But in a division as competitive and fast-moving as NXT, you can’t afford to look away for a second.
NXT Heatwave streams on Peacock (and on Netflix internationally) 7 p.m. ET Sunday.
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