Oba Femi on building a character: “A lot of people go out there and pretend to be wrestlers”
WWE NXT champion Oba Femi did an interview with BBC Sport and here is an excerpt…
BBC Sport: “Your character, Oba Femi, I think you’re the most authentically African wrestler I’ve ever seen. Just talk to me about why you’ve decided to be this huge mammoth of a man who is regal, he’s fierce, and he’s strong.”
Femi: “That’s just what comes with the territory of building a character. A lot of people go out there and pretend to be wrestlers and pretend to be something they’re not. But for me, it’s like, how much of a human being can I put into this one character? Let me have that natural cadence of a Nigerian man. What does a Nigerian man who is egotistical, poised and all that, how does he fit into the wrestling meta? And I think I’ve been able to figure that out.”
BBC Sport: “Having you out there showing young Nigerian kids that maybe this is a future for me. Maybe I can become like Oba Femi. What does that mean to you?”
Femi: “I grew up a fan and I was like, ‘Man, I would kill to be a wrestler.’ But it just didn’t feel plausible. They don’t even really come to Africa for live events. You start telling yourself all these things. My goal is not necessarily to make young kids come and wrestle. That’s not the goal. But my goal is more to let them know that you can dream big and it’s okay and it’s possible.”
🗣 "My goal is to let them know you can dream big!" 🤩
Oba Femi speaks about inspiring young Nigerian kids and being an “authentically African” WWE wrestler 💪 pic.twitter.com/YS25cPUiFS
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) January 3, 2026