The eye test never lies in the squared circle
Look, I’ve spent the better part of two decades sitting in dive bars and arenas across this country, watching 'Next Big Things' come and go. Usually, it’s some guy who looks like he was built in a lab by a mad scientist who only had a picture of Hulk Hogan and a tub of protein powder for reference. Most of them have the charisma of a damp piece of drywall and the footwork of a newborn giraffe. But every once in a while, a guy walks through the curtain and the air in the room just changes.
That is the Oba Femi experience in a nutshell. We aren't just talking about a big guy who can lift heavy things. We are talking about a physical anomaly who makes professional athletes look like they skipped gym class for three years straight. When Ricky Saints, a guy who sees elite talent every single week in NXT, says he finally 'gets it' after seeing Oba in person, you better believe the hype train has officially left the station.
Saints recently sat down and didn't mince words about the sheer presence of the reigning NXT powerhouse. He essentially confirmed what those of us in the front row have been screaming since his debut. The screen does not do this man justice. You can watch him on a 65-inch 4K TV and think he looks impressive, but standing five feet away from him is a different sport entirely.
The Ricky Saints endorsement and the 'Wow' factor
If you've been following the NXT scene lately, you know the vibe is shifting. We are moving away from the era of the 180-pound technical wizard and back into the era of the hoss. But Oba isn't a throwback to the 80s; he’s a glimpse into a terrifying future. Ricky Saints put it perfectly when he described the visceral reaction to seeing the man in the flesh.
‘You see him in person and you go wow, I get it, I totally get it.’
That quote from Saints is the ultimate seal of approval in a business that thrives on the 'It' factor. You can teach a guy to do a 450 splash. You can teach a guy to cut a scripted promo about his 'journey' or his 'passion' for the business. You cannot teach a human being to be 270 pounds of explosive muscle that moves like a middleweight. Saints isn't just being a company man here; he's describing the physical reality of a guy who was built to wreck shop.
What makes this interesting is that Saints is a guy who usually keeps his cool. He’s seen the NIL recruits come through the Performance Center in droves. He’s seen the former football players and the track stars try to figure out which way is up. For him to single out Oba Femi as the guy who makes you stop and stare tells me that the internal scouting reports are probably glowing red-hot right now.
Breaking down the NIL blueprint
Let's talk about the elephant in the room: the NIL program. For years, the hardcore fans complained that WWE was moving away from the 'real' wrestlers from the indies. They wanted the guys who wrestled in front of 50 people in a VFW hall for a sandwich and a handshake. But Oba Femi is the walking, breathing argument for why the NIL system exists. He’s a former shot putter from Alabama who didn't grow up obsessed with tapes of Mid-South Wrestling, and yet he looks more like a wrestler than half the locker room.
He has this way of standing in the ring that feels predatory. It’s not just the size; it’s the stillness. He doesn't do the unnecessary 'big man' posturing where they growl at the camera like a low-budget movie villain. He just looks at his opponent like they are a math problem he’s already solved. It’s a quiet confidence that usually takes ten years to develop, yet he’s doing it while he’s still relatively green.
The technical side of his game is surprisingly sharp for his experience level too. Have you seen the way he hits that deadlift powerbomb? He doesn't struggle. He doesn't wobble. He just picks up a grown man and puts him through the canvas like he’s taking out the trash on a Tuesday morning. It’s the kind of raw power that makes you wonder if he’s actually human or just a collection of hydraulic pumps wrapped in skin.
The critical reality check for the 'Ruler of NXT'
Now, before we start planning his Hall of Fame induction ceremony, let’s get real for a second. Being a physical marvel is only half the battle. We’ve seen guys like Nathan Jones and Lars Sullivan walk through that same curtain with a 'Wow' factor that could melt paint off the walls, and look how those stories ended. One ended up in a movie as a silent heavy, and the other just... disappeared into the void of bad booking and personal issues.
Oba Femi still has a lot of work to do on the microphone. While his presence is undeniable, his promos can sometimes feel a bit rehearsed. He needs to find that 'mean streak' in his voice to match the one in his hands. If he can't talk people into the building, he’ll eventually hit a ceiling on the main roster where workrate and personality are the only currencies that matter. He also needs to be careful not to fall into the 'Big Man' trap of just doing three moves and calling it a day. The fans in 2026 are smart; they want to see him sell, they want to see him struggle, and they want to see him work a 20-minute match without gassing out.
There is also the question of his selling. Right now, he’s booked like an indestructible wall, which is fine for NXT. But when he eventually runs into the big dogs on the main roster—the guys like Gunther or a returning Roman Reigns—he’s going to have to learn how to make their offense look like it actually hurts. If he just shrugs off everything, the matches lose their drama. No one wants to see a video game character on god-mode for an entire year.
WrestleMania 41 and the looming main roster call
We are currently on the road to WrestleMania 41, and the chatter backstage is that several NXT standouts are being looked at for a post-Mania call-up. With Night 1 on April 19 and Night 2 on April 20, the timing is perfect. If Oba continues to dominate the North American title scene, there is no reason he shouldn't be making his Raw or SmackDown debut by May. Can you imagine him standing across the ring from someone like Bron Breakker? The sheer amount of beef in that ring would probably cause a localized earthquake.
- Physical presence that clears the room
- NIL success story that justifies the entire program
- Legitimate athletic background from Alabama track and field
- Unmatched explosive power for his weight class
- The 'Ricky Saints' seal of approval
The transition to the main roster is where most of these projects die. We’ve seen the writers at the top level ruin a good thing in less than 30 seconds by giving a monster a goofy gimmick or making them lose their first match to a mid-carder. Oba needs to be protected. He needs the 'Gunther' treatment—slow, steady, and dominant. If they rush him into a title picture too fast, he might flame out before he even gets started.
But if they do it right? If they let him keep that aura that Ricky Saints was talking about? We might be looking at the cornerstone of the next decade. He represents a shift back to a more physically imposing style of wrestling that still respects the athleticism of the modern era. He’s not just a big guy; he’s an athlete who happens to be huge.
Final verdict: Believe the hype, but watch the booking
At the end of the day, Ricky Saints is right. You see Oba Femi in person and you 'get it.' You understand why the scouts were drooling. You understand why he was fast-tracked through the PC. But the 'Wow' factor only gets you so far. The history of this business is littered with guys who had the 'look' but didn't have the heart or the head for the long haul.
Oba seems different, though. There is a cerebral quality to the way he works that suggests he’s actually studying the game. He isn't just relying on his biceps to do the talking. He’s listening to the veterans, he’s watching the tape, and he’s evolving in real-time. If he can survive the shark tank of the main roster after WrestleMania 41, the sky is the limit.
For now, just enjoy the ride in NXT. Watching him ragdoll opponents is the closest thing we have to a modern-day Goldberg run, but with actual wrestling ability. Just don't expect him to stay in Florida for much longer. When a guy makes the commentators go 'Wow' every single time he walks out, he’s already outgrown the small room. The big stage is calling, and Oba Femi looks like he’s ready to break the door down.
