Oba Femi: 10 things you didn’t know about the Nigerian WWE superstar

WWE’s resident powerhouse, Oba Femi (born Isaac Odugbesan), has rapidly skyrocketed from a dominant college athlete to one of the most feared competitors in professional wrestling.

Nicknamed "The Ruler," his physical dominance and relentless intensity have made him a focal point of WWE programming.

In this article, Pulse Sports details key facts about the Nigerian WWE superstar.

Oba Femi (born Isaac Odugbesan) was born on April 22, 1998, in Lagos, Nigeria. He proudly holds Nigerian nationality and grew up in a decent, middle-class household before relocating to the United States on a student-athlete scholarship.

Oba Femi was born to Mr Niyi Odugbesan and Mrs Maria Belleh Odugbesan. Femi has one younger brother, known by the nickname "Bio Bio".

Oba Femi's father is a strictly private individual who avoids social media entirely. Little is known publicly about his personal life or profession, as he prefers to stay out of the media spotlight.

Oba Femi's mother is a highly successful businesswoman and professional who works in the restaurant and hospitality industry.

Unlike her husband, she maintains a public profile on social media and frequently posts about her life and her son's soaring WWE career.

Before becoming a force in the squared circle, Isaac Odugbesan's athletic journey truly flourished in his home country of Nigeria. Oba Femi attended the prestigious University of Lagos (UNILAG), where he competed in track and field.

During his freshman season in 2016, he won an astonishing ten shot put medals at the Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA) sports festival. His outstanding success at UNILAG acted as a catalyst, securing him a student-athlete scholarship to study and compete in the United States by 2017.

After a brief stint at Middle Tennessee State University, he transferred to the University of Alabama in 2019. Competing in the fiercely competitive Southeastern Conference (SEC), the future WWE superstar heavily dominated shot put events. He captured the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships title in both 2021 and 2022, effectively turning himself into an elite NCAA champion before ever taking his first bumps in a wrestling ring.

Oba Femi did not take the traditional independent wrestling route. He was recruited directly by WWE in 2021 through its pioneering "Next In Line" (NIL) programme. The initiative was designed specifically to recruit elite division-one college athletes and groom them into sports entertainment superstars.

Although the WWE NIL programme scouted him as an athlete, Femi's passion for wrestling runs much deeper than a corporate recruitment initiative. He has been an avid fan of professional wrestling since the age of six while growing up in Lagos. He frequently credits Attitude Era icons such as The Undertaker and current WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H as his biggest childhood inspirations that shaped his in-ring psychology.

He reported to the WWE Performance Center in August 2022 and quickly impressed coaches with his immense raw power.

Oba Femi's rise through the developmental ranks in NXT was historic. He captured his first major gold by defeating Dragon Lee to become the NXT North American Champion.

He went on to hold the title for a record-breaking 273 days, cementing himself as the longest-reigning North American Champion in WWE history. He later captured the prestigious NXT Championship twice before ultimately vacating it to pursue a run on the main roster.

Oba Femi's arrival on the grandest stage of them all was the definition of legendary. At WrestleMania 42 in April 2026, Femi locked horns with the legendary Brock Lesnar.

In a shocking, violent display of raw strength, the Nigerian giant defeated "The Beast Incarnate" in under five minutes. The high-profile loss served as Lesnar's retirement match, officially passing the powerhouse torch to Femi.

Immediately following his monumental WrestleMania victory, Femi moved to the active WWE RAW roster. To showcase his merciless and relentless nature, he initiated the Oba Femi Open Challenge on Monday nights. He issued a standing warning that anyone brave enough to step into the ring with him would face the wrath of "The Ruler", and he has remained completely undefeated since the call-up.

Don't let the physical intimidation fool you; Oba Femi is also a highly educated artist. While dominating the shot put circle at the University of Alabama, he balanced his rigorous training schedules with academic pursuits.

He majored in studio arts and successfully graduated in May 2022 with a Bachelor's degree in Visual Arts before transitioning full-time to his professional wrestling career.

Despite being a mountain of a man who guards his personal life fiercely, Oba Femi's romantic life became a major viral topic in April 2026. Fans were sent into a frenzy when he attended the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony alongside a stunning partner.

She was later identified as Briell Brielle, an American fitness and lifestyle influencer. Brielle confirmed their relationship on Instagram with a public birthday tribute to the WWE superstar, to which Femi sweetly replied from his official account.

She currently boasts nearly 17,000 followers on Instagram, a modest figure compared to Oba Femi's 398,000 followers.

Oba Femi does not rely on flashy acrobatics. Instead, his moveset is a masterclass in raw, violent power, utilising heavy impact manoeuvres that throw grown men around as if they weigh nothing. His moveset can be broken down into three parts.

For the setup, Oba Femi catches a charging opponent mid-air or deliberately tosses them upward. As the opponent falls back down, he catches them by the waist, hoisting them high above his head with an extension at the top. He then violently drives them down onto the canvas while dropping into a seated position. Fans frequently compare this move to The Undertaker's iconic "Last Ride" powerbomb, paying direct homage to Femi's childhood idol.

Standing at a billed height of 6-foot-6, Oba Femi wraps a single massive hand around his opponent's throat. With pure unadulterated strength, he lifts them high into the air before slamming them flat on their back. Oba Femi notably used a devastating chokeslam right before hitting the "Fall From Grace" to pin Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 42.

This is Oba Femi’s famous transition move where he grabs a standing or cornered opponent by the head or hair and, without needing a complex lift, literally hurls them completely across the ring. Because of his background as an elite collegiate shot putter, he generates a terrifying amount of distance with these ragdoll tosses.

When opponents try to outmanoeuvre him with speed, Oba Femi often cuts them off by spinning 180 degrees and delivering a brutal, heavy-impact forearm or elbow smash directly to the face.

Displaying his incredible core and arm strength, Oba Femi will scoop up an opponent with just a single arm, hold them momentarily in the air to display his power, and then drop their spine violently across his knee.

As of May 2026, Oba Femi's estimated net worth is between $200,000 and $500,000, according to Times of India.

His net worth has been bolstered by performance bonuses from massive premium live events, standard match bonuses, and a cut of his physical and digital merchandise sales.

WWE main roster contracts feature a reported minimum base salary of $350,000 per year. Since being promoted to the active RAW roster in early 2026, Femi's earnings have scaled up significantly to meet this baseline.

Prior to his call-up, Femi's wealth was built on standard WWE NXT developmental contracts. Those contracts typically carry a lower base salary, generally ranging between $50,000 and $100,000 annually. As his explosive main roster run continues to gain traction on Monday Night Raw, his earning potential and overall net worth are projected to increase dramatically over the next few years.