Credit: WWE.com
Oba Femi, the NXT Champion and former North American Champion, recently opened up about the unique challenges he faced moving from a successful track and field career into the demanding world of professional wrestling. While his background as a powerhouse shot putter at the University of Alabama gave him incredible strength and explosiveness, adapting to wrestling’s endurance and pacing was a major hurdle.
From Track Star to WWE Rising Star
Isaac Odugbesan, better known by his ring name Oba Femi, was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and built a distinguished collegiate track and field career before signing with WWE in late 2021 through their NIL (Next In Line) program for transitioning athletes. Standing 6’6” and weighing over 300 pounds, Femi combined his natural athleticism with a growing in-ring skill set to quickly ascend WWE’s NXT brand.
After debuting on NXT Level Up in late 2022, Femi made a splash by winning the 2023 Men’s Breakout Tournament, which nudged him onto a path toward unlocking his full potential. He soon cashed in that momentum by defeating Dragon Lee to become the youngest ever NXT North American Champion, holding the title for a record-breaking 273 days. His reign cemented him as one of NXT’s most dominant and promising performers.
The Challenge of “Slowing Down”
Despite his physical dominance, Femi explained in a recent interview that the transition was anything but smooth. Coming from a sport where short bursts of maximum power define performance such as shot putting making the leap to wrestling required a complete shift in mindset and conditioning.
“For shot put, I needed to be big, heavy, strong, explosive, just for one movement for a short period of time,” Femi said to Count on News 2. “Now I have to lean to the cardiovascular side of things, have more stamina to go long distances and long matches. It’s a different sport in itself.”
His ability to slow down pacing and develop sustained endurance was his biggest personal challenge inside the WWE Performance Center, where physical training “comes with learning how to tell a story in the ring.” According to sources close to the NXT locker room, “Oba was used to lightning-fast power and explosiveness, but wrestling demands patience and pacing over multiple minutes, which he had to relearn.” This focus on stamina and match psychology has since become a cornerstone of Femi’s evolving in-ring style.
Bridging the Gap: Similarities and Differences Between Sports
Femi noted that while track and field and wrestling are dramatically different, there are complementary traits that helped his journey.
“The discipline and work ethic from track and field definitely made the adjustment easier,” he explained. “But the endurance, learning to take hits, working through pain, and thinking strategically in the ring that’s where the real wrestling challenge started.”
His training at the WWE Performance Center emphasized cardiovascular conditioning paired with technical wrestling skills, character development, and storytelling elements critical for long-term success in WWE. His stature and athleticism have helped him perform powerful moves, but pacing each match for drama and audience engagement was an entirely new skill.
A Backstage Perspective on Oba Femi’s Rise
According to a WWE insider familiar with NXT operations, “Oba’s natural athleticism gave him a shortcut in learning the physical part, but where he really impressed coaches was his rapid grasp of character work and match psychology—traits that are hard to teach.”
The insider added, “Once he mastered that slower, measured style, he clicked. His transition from Breakout winner to North American Champion, and now to NXT Champion, shows just how serious he took this evolution.”
Indeed, since capturing the NXT Championship in early 2024, Femi has headlined some of NXT’s biggest shows, showcasing a more well-rounded wrestler who balances raw power with nuanced in-ring storytelling.