Exclusive: Oba Femi On Redefining The "Big Man" In Wrestling

Oba Femi spoke to The Takedown about what it means to redefine big man status in professional wrestling.

Oba Femi / WWE.com

Oba Femi wants to change the perception of big men in professional wrestling.

Having already faced some of the biggest men in NXT, WWE, and TNA, and ahead of his match where he'll challenge Trick Williams for the NXT Championship, he spoke about his plans for both his NXT Championship run and about what his vision is for when he moves to the main roster.

“I want to take what I've done here in NXT, and that is redefine what the big man style is, and I plan to take it up there and throw it in the mix,” Femi told The Takedown in an exclusive interview.

MORE: Tony D'Angelo on Oba Femi "I Want To Hurt Him, To Be Quite Frank With You"

Femi, the longest reigning NXT North American Champion, has already faced some of the largest men in professional wrestling today. He reflected on his match with Otis, a match that could have been the main event in the Big E "Meaty Men Invitational." Femi recoils at the mention of Otis' Caterpillar elbow drop and says, although he's a big man, Otis is truly a big man.

“It's a lot. That's a lot of human being. You don't know what you just did there. You just hidden something my brain tried to bury, and you just excavated it from the ground. That's a lot of man coming down on you – pause. He's a big man. I enjoyed working with Otis. He's a very entertaining fellow. I like how he makes the smallest of things mean the most. He's a star. He's a star. He definitely pushed me to my limits as well. Just moving him around was difficult. When something is difficult, I embrace the challenge.”

Femi, arguably the most successful signee from the WWE Next in Line program, feels he can utilize his accomplishments in NXT, both from championship status to presentation, to help elevate the “big man” professional wrestler in 2025 and beyond.  

“I think I've done a good job of putting a spin on what the typical big man is. I've shown that the typical big man - the new big man, let's call it that, the new big man is a talker, the new big man is a thinker, and the new big man moves fast. I'm changing the perception of what that is. I hope that I can go to the main roster and show that to the world on a bigger platform than NXT. I love NXT to death. NXT is doing very well for itself. It's going up in viewers, and it gets viewers every year, but the main roster is the bigger audience.”

With the expansion of the NIL program, as well as the creation of WWEID, Femi says the key to success in WWE is to be yourself.

“Find a way to do pro wrestling, but still be yourself. I think people get lost trying to act like a pro wrestler, and they forget that they themselves are one. People try to imitate the body language and the acts of pro wrestlers, but they forget this isn't what a pro wrestler would do if they get hit. It's like, what would you do when you get hit? You know what I'm saying? I think people have to find that, especially for new people coming in. You have to find you and how you would do everything and how you would execute everything.”

Femi is slated to face Trick Williams for the NXT Championship at NXT New Year’s Evil on January 7th, live on The CW. Check your local listings from start times.

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