A former WWE Champion has called for Oba Femi to become a Paul Heyman guy.
Raj Dhesi believes WWE should turn Oba Femi heel and align him with Paul Heyman, allowing the former NXT Champion’s popularity to develop naturally rather than continuing to present him as a babyface. Dhesi, who competed in WWE as Jinder Mahal, outlined his idea on Instagram and compared the approach to Brock Lesnar‘s introduction to the main roster in 2002.
“Turn Oba Femi heel. Just like Brock Lesnar when he was when he debuted, have him destroy everybody and let the crowd naturally turn him babyface. Put him with Paul Heyman.”
The comparison comes shortly after Femi defeated Lesnar inside Hell in a Cell in the main event of SummerSlam Night One on August 1. The match proved to be Lesnar’s final appearance as an active competitor, with the former WWE Champion subsequently announcing his retirement.
Following the match, Lesnar returned to the ring and raised Femi’s hand before telling the crowd that Femi represented the future while he was the past. WWE has since moved Lesnar to the alumni section of its website.
Dhesi’s proposal would effectively see Femi follow a similar path to the man he recently retired. Lesnar debuted on Raw in March 2002 alongside Heyman and was immediately established as a dominant heel, winning King of the Ring and the WWE Championship within his first five months on the main roster.
Heyman has also already been involved in Femi’s recent WWE storylines. He appeared during the build towards Femi’s SummerSlam match against Lesnar, becoming involved in their rivalry on the July 6 episode of Raw.
Raj Dhesi Said Oba Femi Has Exceeded His Expectations On WWE’s Main Roster
Raj Dhesi previously admitted that Oba Femi has significantly exceeded his initial expectations. Speaking on Busted Open in June, the former WWE Champion said he did not originally envision a particularly bright future for Femi when watching him train at the Performance Center but has since been completely won over by his development.
Femi signed with WWE in 2022 and went on to capture both the NXT Championship and NXT North American Championship. Since moving to the main roster, he has been positioned as one of WWE’s rising stars.
He defeated Lesnar at WrestleMania 42 on April 19 before losing their rematch at Clash in Italy on May 31, marking Femi’s first singles defeat since his call-up. Femi later won the King of the Ring tournament, earning a world championship opportunity at SummerSlam, but instead chose to challenge Lesnar to a third match.
Femi ultimately defeated Lesnar inside Hell in a Cell in Minnesota, finishing the match with Fall From Grace after surviving a tombstone onto the exposed wood beneath the ring.
