The Omaha Massacre

The May 4 episode of WWE RAW at the CHI Health Center in Omaha didn’t just feature a wrestling match. It featured a mugging. As Ringside News reported, Oba Femi stepped into the ring for his first Open Challenge match, and the result was pure, unadulterated brutality.

He didn't just beat his opponent; he dismantled him. This is the Oba Femi we were promised upon his call-up. The massive, immovable object who dominated NXT with terrifying ease. Monday night was a stark reminder of his physical ceiling.

The sheer velocity of his throws and the impact of his powerbombs translate violence into athletic perfection. But while the Omaha crowd ate up the destruction, this Open Challenge gimmick brings immediate questions.

We are exactly four days away from WWE Backlash on May 9. Femi has announced he will defend his title in another Open Challenge on the premium live event. It sounds exciting on paper. In execution, it’s a massive risk for a performer who still needs careful formatting.

The Problem with the Open Challenge

Let's be clear about the Open Challenge trope. It worked for John Cena in 2015 because Cena was a made man in the twilight of his full-time career. He elevated midcard talent through 20-minute classics. Cena could afford to look vulnerable against Sami Zayn or Cesaro.

Femi cannot. His appeal relies entirely on his aura of invincibility. He is a monster. Monsters do not have back-and-forth grappling clinics with lower-card talent. They hit their spots, hit their finish, and pose over a broken body.

By bringing the Open Challenge to Backlash, WWE is painting themselves into a corner. Either Femi squashes someone in three minutes on a major premium live event—which often deflates the live crowd—or he goes 15 minutes with a surprise challenger and suddenly looks mortal.

The booking requires walking a tightrope. This is my biggest criticism of Triple H's current creative direction for Femi. They are treating him like a workhorse champion when he should be treated like a natural disaster. You don't schedule a hurricane. It just hits you.

Analyzing the Mechanics

Look at Femi's footwork during that RAW match. For a man his size, he moves with an alarming lack of wasted motion. When he shoots his opponent into the ropes, he doesn't just stand there waiting.

He adjusts his base, lowers his center of gravity, and prepares to absorb and redirect the kinetic energy. His pop-up powerbomb is currently the most protected finish in the company. The mechanics of the move require incredible core strength.

He has to lift the opponent and stabilize them at the apex before driving them down. On Monday, he hit it with such force that the ring visibly shook. It’s a spectacular visual.

But wrestling isn't just about the finish. Femi's transitional offense still looks a bit raw. He occasionally hesitates before Irish whips, and his striking in the corner sometimes lacks the crisp snap of a veteran brawler. These are minor flaws, but they get exposed in longer matches.

A Historical Perspective

If you want to understand why this creative decision is baffling, look at the history of the Open Challenge. Seth Rollins used the Intercontinental Championship Open Challenge in 2018 to brand himself as the workhorse of Monday Night RAW.

He put on weekly television classics that carried the show. Gunther took a different approach. He didn't issue open challenges; he demanded worthy competition and then chopped them into mincemeat. Gunther’s reign was built on methodical, bruising affairs.

Femi sits awkwardly between these two archetypes. He has the physical dominance of Gunther, but WWE is giving him the formatting of Rollins. It is a strange dissonance.

Rollins could fly around the ring and trade near-falls. Femi shouldn't be trading near-falls with anyone outside of the main event scene. By forcing Femi into this structural mold, they strip away his mystique.

Down in NXT, Femi was an attraction. You tuned in specifically to see who he was going to destroy next. On the main roster, they are asking a powerhouse brawler to work the schedule and style of a high-workrate technician.

Who Answers the Call at Backlash?

So, who walks down the aisle this Saturday? The rumor mill is churning out names from returning legends to NXT call-ups. Let's look at the realistic options.

Ilja Dragunov makes the most sense from an in-ring perspective. We know they have chemistry. Dragunov is one of the few men on the roster who can absorb Femi's offense without looking completely overmatched.

His frantic, kamikaze style is the perfect foil for Femi's stoic power. A high-speed sprint between these two would steal the show. Then there's the possibility of a returning veteran like Sheamus.

The Celtic Warrior loves a physical fight, and seeing him trade clubbing blows with Femi would pop the crowd instantly. But Sheamus is currently tied up elsewhere, making him unlikely. The worst-case scenario is a local talent.

Sending out someone like R-Truth to get decimated would be a waste of premium live event time. Femi needs a credible threat to legitimize this Open Challenge concept.

The Stakes for Backlash

Backlash exists in the shadow of WrestleMania, tasked with continuing massive feuds or pivoting to new ones. For Femi, this is a pivot. He wasn't the focal point of WrestleMania, but the company clearly views him as a cornerstone.

This match is a test. It evaluates his ability to handle the pressure of a live premium event crowd without a pre-planned, heavily rehearsed opponent. It tests his conditioning, ring awareness, and connection with the audience.

If he passes, he solidifies his spot at the top of the card. He proves he isn't just a physical specimen. If he struggles, it gives the front office a reason to hit the brakes on his push.

There is also the question of the title itself. The midcard championships have been elevated significantly over the past three years. Femi holding the belt gives it an edge of danger, but he needs signature defenses.

The Anatomy of a Monster Push

It is genuinely difficult to book a dominant big man in modern wrestling. Fans are too smart. They understand the mechanics of a match, and they get bored quickly if the offense is one-dimensional.

Brock Lesnar managed to stay compelling because his suplexes were terrifying and his speed was unnatural. Femi has the strength, but he needs to develop that same aura of unpredictability.

Right now, his matches follow a strict formula. He dominates early, takes brief heat, and hits his finish. The Open Challenge format is designed to break that formula.

By introducing unknown variables, it forces Femi to adapt on the fly. It forces him to sell for different styles of offense. It forces him to be a professional wrestler, not just a sports entertainer.

Prediction: Violence and Vulnerability

I expect the Backlash match to be significantly longer than his RAW outing. The company wants to see what he has in the tank. The opponent will be someone credible but expendable.

Think Chad Gable or a technically gifted midcarder who can bump around like a pinball. Gable could tie Femi up in submissions, exposing Femi's lack of mat wrestling experience, before ultimately eating a powerbomb.

I am predicting a 10-minute match. It will start slow, the crowd will get restless, and then Femi will hit a sequence of high-impact moves that brings everyone to their feet. Femi retains. He has to.

You don't derail a push like this four days after starting a new gimmick. But this is my bold call: the match will expose a weakness. Femi will win, but he will leave the ring limping.

The narrative will shift from being unbeatable to showing he can be hurt. That is the only way to sustain a monster reign. Backlash will be the night the armor cracks, just a little.