It can be fun to see WWE really get behind a rising talent, and there's been a lot of that going around of late on the main roster. Indeed, recent months have seen Lash Legend emerge as a new titan on the women's side of things, while Trick Williams has gotten the star treatment on SmackDown, and Je'Von Evans has emerged as a human highlight reel on Raw.
Something different is happening for Oba Femi.
While other recent call-ups have arrived to some fanfare and early successes, the man who vacated the NXT Championship to move up to the big show has garnered borderline main event treatment right out of the gate, starting with a short, but arguably star-making performance in which he got the better of Cody Rhodes on Saturday Night's Main Event, despite the match officially ending in a draw.
Indeed, Femi's push since then has harkened back to memories of how WWE fans got introduced to Brock Lesnar when he was The Next Big Thing in 2002. The pushes aren't exactly the same, though.
Oba Femi Is Getting A Push That Feels Influenced By What Worked For Brock Lesnar
In 2026, Brock Lesnar is a WWE institution. He carries with him some real-life baggage connected to Vince McMahon's scandals, some fan fatigue from fourteen years of wrestling as a part-time attraction. He's a ten-time world champion under the WWE banner who has main evented five WrestleManias across a twenty-year span and as such, it's easy for fans to take him for granted nowadays.
When Lesnar first hit the main roster, though, he arrived with the perfect push and perfect skill set to come across as a monster. Early appearances saw him arrive unannounced and positively decimate mid-carders with a combination of strength and speed rarely seen.
Lesnar handily beat each of the Hardy Boyz individually, before besting the legendary tag team with no more impressive tag partner than Paul Heyman. All that's before winning King of the Ring and, a mere five months after first appearing on main roster television, beating The Rock clean for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam.
It's too soon to say how closely Oba Femi's rookie year trajectory will resemble Lesnar's. Nonetheless, seeing him singlehandedly dispatch the Viking Raiders, not so dissimilar from what The Beast did to the Hardys, and seeing Femi casually decimate Kit Wilson the way Lesnar dispatched guys like Spike Dudley certainly does feel reminiscent of The Next Big Thing's monster push.
Pushes That Come Before And After WrestleMania Come Across Differently
A key difference between Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi's initial main roster pushes comes down to timing. When Lesnar made his debut, it came on March 18, 2002, on the Raw after WrestleMania 18. This is a traditional spot for WWE to launch new talents and angles. 'Mania unofficially marks a sort of season finale in WWE programming, with WWE taking advantage of a rabid live audience hanging around town after the biggest show of the year and more fans watching from home than usual.
Lesnar starting his main roster run right after WrestleMania marked the start of a remarkable year that he capped with his own first 'Mania main event. Femi, on the other hand, has debuted months ahead of The Showcase of the Immortals.
Some of the shift in timing may be reflective of the changing times. After all, Trick Williams and Je'Von Evans have also debuted well ahead of WrestleMania, and that's not altogether unlike how Tiffany Stratton debuted to much fanfare months ahead of WrestleMania 40, only to fully come into focus as a top star in her division over the year to follow.
The timing of Femi's emergence as a main roster force opens up different possibilities. Some have speculated he might get a real rocket strapped to him—inserted in the WWE Championship picture for WrestleMania, and even leaving the show with the title. Otherwise, it stands to reason he will have a featured role when WWE returns to Allegiant Stadium in April.
Is Oba Femi Vs. Brock Lesnar On Its Way?
If Oba Femi doesn't go straight to the world title picture for WrestleMania, it doesn't mean he won't find himself in that kind of role in time for SummerSlam or Survivor Series. If WWE does hold back that little bit, it stands to reason The Ruler will nonetheless work a high-profile spot at 'Mania.
Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar has a nice ring to it, as fans enjoy a clash of the titans, not to mention that the talents involved stand to deliver a solid match, especially if The Beast feels motivated to do business. WWE previewed this low-key dream match at the Royal Rumble, where Femi's dominant run to start the match resembled Lesnar's 2020 performance, only for Lesnar himself to eliminate the young upstart. WWE can use that foundation to build a proper 'Mania program; one which Femi would all but have to win.
Indeed, the most compelling reason not to run Femi vs. Lesnar may well be that Gunther vs. Lesnar is the longer speculated, arguably even more attractive match to build. That comes with the complicating factors that Gunther's recent booking and Lesnar's position in the twilight of his career would invite The Beast's retirement angle, meaning WWE wouldn't be able to come back to Femi vs. Lesnar. On the flip side, if Femi were to beat Lesnar at WrestleMania, that might take some of the luster off a prospective Gunther-Lesnar showdown for later in the year.
The bottom line surrounding Oba Femi is that he is a true blue-chip prospect for WWE—a guy whose look, athletic ability, power, and demonstrated ability to deliver in the ring all spell main event. Combine that with him being twenty-seven in a main event picture crowded with guys in their forties. Femi has every chance to represent the future of the company or, in Brock Lesnar parlance, The Next Big Thing.
