Who did Israel Adesanya recently praise in WWE NXT?

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya recently gave high praise to WWE NXT superstar Oba Femi. He described the massive developmental wrestler as "the guy right now" in a completely genuine, unforced endorsement of Femi's raw physical charisma and undeniable star power.

What makes Oba Femi stand out on NXT television?

Oba Femi stands out due to his raw physical charisma, terrifying size, and incredible power in the ring. He executes devastating maneuvers, such as vicious powerbombs, that make him look like a legitimate threat rather than someone just playing a character on television.

Why is Israel Adesanya's endorsement of Oba significant?

Adesanya's endorsement shows that Oba Femi's appeal is successfully reaching outside the traditional professional wrestling audience. As a top-tier combat sports athlete who appreciates entertainment and pop culture, Adesanya recognizing Femi highlights his authentic, massive crossover star power and undeniable presence.

What is the biggest risk for Oba Femi on the WWE main roster?

The biggest risk for Oba Femi is the typical booking trap where called-up NXT monsters quickly lose their aura of invincibility. Many big men are built up with squash matches only to be fed to established top stars, losing their mystique entirely and ending up struggling for consistent television time.

Where can fans watch Oba Femi perform?

Fans can currently watch Oba Femi perform on WWE's developmental brand, NXT. The professional wrestling television show broadcasts weekly on Tuesday nights on the USA Network, taking place in front of a live audience at the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

Oba Femi is a monster and even Israel Adesanya is putting him over

The MMA Co-Sign That Actually Matters

When mixed martial arts stars talk about professional wrestling, it usually feels incredibly forced. A management team sets up a photo op, a fighter awkwardly holds a replica championship belt, and everyone pretends they have been a lifelong fan of the product. It is a tired routine. But every once in a while, a genuine crossover moment happens organically. That is exactly what played out this week when former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya pointed directly at WWE NXT's Oba Femi.

Adesanya did not mince words when discussing the massive superstar.

"That's the guy right now,"

he stated bluntly. No corporate speak. No forced promotional push. Just one of the most recognizable and entertaining strikers on the planet acknowledging a freakish athlete who is currently tearing through the developmental brand in Orlando.

If you have been paying attention to Tuesday nights on the USA Network, Adesanya's assessment is impossible to argue against. Oba Femi is a terrifying human being. He does not just execute standard wrestling maneuvers; he treats grown men like empty duffel bags. His powerbombs look like multi-car pileups on the interstate. He possesses the raw, unteachable physical charisma that Vince McMahon used to dream about after eating a bad steak. Adesanya is an entertainer who draws inspiration from anime and pop culture, so he absolutely recognizes authentic star power when he sees it.

The crossover appeal here is massive. When you have top-tier athletes from legitimate combat sports marking out over a developmental wrestler, it means the product is penetrating bubbles outside of the traditional wrestling echo chamber. Femi does not look like he is playing a character; he looks like a legitimate threat who just happens to be wrestling on a television show. That distinction is exactly why Adesanya was so quick to single him out.

But having the look is only half the battle in the WWE machine. The real test is what happens when he inevitably leaves Florida.

The Main Roster Monster Trap

This brings us to the biggest flaw in WWE's current developmental pipeline. NXT does a fantastic job building invincible monsters in the controlled environment of the Performance Center. But the transition to the main roster is notoriously brutal for big men who rely entirely on an aura of invincibility. Once you lose that aura on a Monday or Friday night, you become just another guy struggling for television time.

Look at the graveyard of NXT call-ups who were booked as unstoppable forces, only to be reduced to chasing secondary titles or sitting in catering within six months of debuting on Raw or SmackDown. The booking patterns are painfully predictable. A monster debuts, squashes local enhancement talent for a month, gets fed to a top babyface at a B-level pay-per-view, and suddenly the mystique is gone entirely.

Oba Femi has the potential to break that cycle, but only if Triple H exercises extreme patience. He has a presence that translates beyond the small studio audience. With WrestleMania 41 looming on April 19 and April 20 in Las Vegas, the post-Mania season is usually when NXT call-ups make their splash. Rushing Femi to the main roster before he has fully dialed in his promo skills could be a fatal error. Adesanya's endorsement proves Femi has mainstream appeal. Now, WWE creative has to actually protect that appeal instead of squandering it for a cheap pop.

AEW's Reliance on the Forbidden Door

While WWE is trying to build its next generation of homegrown stars, All Elite Wrestling is sticking to a very different playbook. With AEW Dynasty just four days away on March 30 in Kansas City, the company is already planting seeds for its massive return to London later this summer. Surprise, surprise: they are going back to the New Japan Pro-Wrestling well.

Will Ospreay recently made comments that caught the attention of the international wrestling scene, and now notable NJPW star Callum Newman is publicly teasing a potential appearance at AEW All In. Newman answering Ospreay's challenge inside Wembley Stadium sounds like a workrate dream match. For the hardcore internet fanbase, it is a guaranteed hit. The athletic sequences between those two would be completely absurd.

But there is a glaring issue with this booking philosophy. Tony Khan continues to lean heavily on NJPW talent and outside promotions to fill out the top of his biggest cards. It is a fantastic strategy if you are trying to squeeze ticket money out of the sickos who study Cagematch ratings like the SATs, but it actively kneecaps the development of AEW's actual contracted roster. When you bring in a Callum Newman to wrestle Will Ospreay on your biggest show of the year, you are inherently bumping an AEW talent off that same card. You are prioritizing a one-off exhibition over long-term character development.

We are also seeing an AEW star file a new trademark for a nickname, bringing back a gimmick from years ago for a fresh debut on television. It is another symptom of the exact same problem. Instead of pushing forward with new creative directions, AEW constantly looks backward to independent wrestling lore or international partnerships to generate heat. Booking for the hardcore audience gets you great star ratings from Dave Meltzer, but it rarely grows your actual television viewership.

The Quiet Competence of TNA Wrestling

If you want to see a promotion that is maximizing its resources without the luxury of stadium shows or billion-dollar television deals, look at what is happening in TNA Wrestling right now. The March 19 episode of Impact was a masterclass in simple, effective storytelling that the bigger companies often forget how to do.

Moose is currently on a violent bender to dismantle The System. This week, he folded up Brian Myers like a cheap lawn chair. The match was exactly what it needed to be. No wasted motion. No indie-riffic kickout festivals. Santino Marella banning the rest of The System from ringside made logical sense and progressed the storyline cleanly. We also got a compelling vignette featuring Rosemary, Allie, and Raven. Anytime Raven is involved in the creative process, you get a psychological depth that is sorely missing from modern wrestling.

Why is TNA's television product so structurally sound right now? The answer is hiding behind the curtain. AEW's Deonna Purrazzo recently spoke with Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp and revealed some fascinating details about her husband, Steve Maclin. According to Purrazzo, Maclin is currently working as a producer for TNA, learning the ropes alongside brilliant wrestling minds like Lance Storm and Ace Steel.

Having guys like Storm and Steel holding the dry-erase markers backstage explains a lot. Storm treats ring psychology like a religious text. If Maclin is absorbing that knowledge and applying it to his own blood-feud with Santana, it elevates the entire company. TNA does not have the budget to throw stupid money at Will Ospreay or Oba Femi. But they do have the brains to put on a cohesive two-hour television show that does not actively insult my intelligence.

The Summer Stakes

As we sit here today on March 26, the professional wrestling business is pulling in three entirely different directions. WWE is polishing its developmental gems, hoping guys like Oba Femi can carry the torch for the next decade. Adesanya sees the vision. Now WWE just has to avoid fumbling the execution when the bright lights hit.

AEW is hyper-focused on in-ring excellence and international crossovers. They are perfectly content booking Callum Newman versus Will Ospreay because they know their core audience will demand it. But they risk alienating casual viewers who do not follow New Japan storylines and just want a consistent weekly television show with characters they actually recognize.

And then there is TNA, quietly rebuilding its foundation with smart agents and logical television. They are surviving by simply not making the glaring creative mistakes that plague their larger competitors.

The next few months are going to be chaotic. Dynasty is this Monday. The road to WrestleMania 41 is hitting its absolute peak. If you are a wrestling fan, you have a ridiculous amount of options right now. Just do not be surprised when Oba Femi ends up standing on top of the mountain while everyone else is busy arguing about star ratings.