Last Saturday's Night of Champions in Riyadh was designed to be a coronation. Oba Femi, NXT's most imposing physical project, stood in the center of the Kingdom Arena ring having just dismantled Jey Uso. The stopwatch read exactly 7:55 when Femi pinned Uso, capping off a tournament run that was supposed to establish a new heavyweight hierarchy in WWE.

But the real story did not happen in Riyadh. It happened two nights later on Monday Night Raw when WWE creative decided to throw out the roadmap. Instead of Femi naming his SummerSlam championship target, the arena lights flickered, Brock Lesnar returned, and within three minutes, Femi's championship trajectory was swapped for a non-title Hell in a Cell match.

This sudden pivot has ignited a fierce debate about how WWE handles its long-term booking. On the latest episode of the Two Count Tuesday podcast, former WWE announcer Jonathan Coachman and co-host JD laid out a damning critique of the company's creative process. They argued that Triple H is becoming increasingly reactive, sacrificing logical narrative progression to outsmart the online fanbase.

The Riyadh Pacing Breakdown

To understand why this swerve feels so disjointed, we must look at the structural pacing of Femi's tournament matches. Femi's run through the King of the Ring tournament was marked by short, high-impact sprints. He defeated Dominik Mysterio in a match focused entirely on raw physical intimidation and center-ring control.

Against Jey Uso in the finals on June 27, 2026, Femi again relied on a compressed match layout. Uso attempted to use lateral movement and perimeter speed to wear down the champion, culminating in a late Uso Splash. Femi's kick-out at the one-count was a brilliant piece of physical storytelling, signaling that Uso's offense had barely registered.

Femi secured the crown by hitting consecutive Fall From Grace powerbombs to end the contest in under eight minutes. This was a classic powerhouse presentation: dominant, efficient, and direct. However, the brief match length also hinted at creative's hesitation to test Femi's stamina in a longer, more complex match format.

Oba Femi's Tournament Pacing

A look at Femi's recent match times reveals a clear pattern of protection by the booking team. The creative staff is shielding Femi from extended in-ring sequences that might expose his conditioning or transitional work. Consider the match durations of his tournament run and subsequent appearances:

  • The SmackDown semi-final: Femi pinned Dominik Mysterio in a rapid power showcase.
  • The Night of Champions final: Femi defeated Jey Uso in 7:55 via pinfall after consecutive powerbombs.
  • The post-show dark match: Femi paired with Seth Rollins to defeat Theory and Breakker in 11:21.

The dark match length of over eleven minutes represents Femi's current physical limit in a single ring session. By pairing him with a workhorse like Rollins, WWE shielded Femi's defensive spacing. Rushing a performer with this level of ring experience into a singles match against Brock Lesnar is a massive tactical gamble.

The Outsmarting Problem

The core of the criticism from JD and Coachman is that WWE is actively working against its own audience. JD argued that the booking team is so desperate to avoid predictability that they are willing to compromise their own stories. In doing so, they end up creating unnecessary hurdles for the talent.

During the podcast, JD did not hold back on what he views as a hypocritical approach to creative booking. He pointed out that WWE executives constantly celebrate their digital metrics while dismissing the opinions of the fans who generate them. His analysis of Triple H's current booking philosophy was particularly sharp.

“You know what they did? They really made everything more confusing for themselves because they want so vehemently to go against what the internet thinks and knows.”

“We know everything before it happens. And Triple H is trying so hard to sway us away in a different direction.”

“Now he’s f******* himself over and now he’s made everything more confusing because he wants to keep it unpredictable for us because we know everything.”

“But then they say, ‘Oh, the fans on social media are very critical of the product. Just have fun with it.’”

“Meanwhile, he’s the one listening to what the criticisms are online and trying to dictate the creative based on what we’re saying.”

This reactive booking was fully visible on Raw. Femi opened the broadcast standing under the King of the Ring banner, ready to claim the world title match promised to the tournament winner. Instead, the sudden appearance of Lesnar shifted the focus away from the championship picture entirely.

By inserting Lesnar, WWE generated a massive social media pop, but they left their primary narrative in shambles. Femi is no longer chasing the world title; he is locked in a personal grudge match. The logical progression of a rising star earning a championship shot has been completely bypassed.

Rushing the Narrative

Jonathan Coachman focused his critique on the speed of Femi's push, arguing that WWE is skipping necessary developmental steps. Coachman believes that a performer needs to experience setback and adversity to build a lasting connection with the crowd. By bypassing these steps, WWE risks creating a one-dimensional character.

Coachman mocked the backstage reaction to the Lesnar swerve, suggesting the creative team is ignoring the logical gaps in their own writing. He pointed out that Femi has no logical reason to ignore the world title picture in favor of a feud with a returning veteran.

“Boy, you know, they’re sitting on that jet just laughing.”

“‘Oh, we got them. We got them.’”

“‘We got them. Oh, wait… we’ve got to figure out why he doesn’t go after Roman Reigns.’”

“When he says fans need to have more fun, you are acknowledging that you know that they are not having fun on social media...”

“To me, they got impatient with the Oba thing — they’re saying, ‘We’ve got this guy. We’ve got to have him win.’”

“I’d rather see a little turmoil, a little adversity. That’s where the storytelling comes in.”

Coachman's critique touches on a fundamental truth of professional wrestling psychology. A powerhouse wrestler who never struggles eventually becomes boring to the audience. By matching Femi with Lesnar immediately, WWE is forcing a climax before the story has even had a chance to develop.

The physical reality of the Raw segment confrontation was undeniably impressive. Lesnar delivered a low blow and an F-5, proving that Femi is not yet untouchable. But this physical adversity was not the result of a competitive match; it was a cheap shot designed to set up a gimmick match.

The Tactical Flaw

The major tactical error in this booking is the choice of match type for SummerSlam. Hell in a Cell is historically a feud-ending gimmick designed to settle long-running, intense rivalries. Placing Femi and Lesnar inside the cell for their very first singles encounter is a massive miscalculation.

In a cage match, a wrestler cannot rely on simple hit-and-run tactics or brief power sequences. The environment demands sustained physical work, weapon spots, and complex pacing. Femi has never had to carry a singles match of this scale, and Lesnar is not known for pacing green opponents through long matches.

If Femi is exposed inside the cell, his aura of invincibility will be permanently damaged. If he wins too easily, WWE wastes one of its biggest special attractions in Lesnar. This is the corner that Triple H has booked himself into, all in the name of surprising the internet.

The Minneapolis Prediction

Despite the structural flaws in the build, the match at SummerSlam is set. The event in Minneapolis will be a hostile environment for the young king. Lesnar is fighting on his home turf, where the crowd will treat him like an absolute god.

To save Femi's credibility, the match must be kept short and violent. A twenty-minute classic is out of the question; it would expose Femi's conditioning and spacing limitations. The bookers must lean into the physical chaos of the cell rather than a structured wrestling match.

My prediction is bold, and I am owning it: Oba Femi will defeat Brock Lesnar in Minneapolis, but it will not be clean. Femi will use a foreign object, possibly a steel chair, to wear down Lesnar before delivering a Fall From Grace through a table. It will be an ugly, chaotic victory, but it is the only way to preserve Femi's monster status while acknowledging his current physical limits.