There’s a lot of talking points going around about WWE right now. One of those is Oba Femi for a very good reason. Since debuting on Monday Night Raw at the start of the year, he has been unstoppable. Crushing guys like Johnny Gargano and the Viking Raiders led him to the biggest test of his career at WrestleMania: Vegas.
He managed to pass that test and beat Brock Lesnar in an epic match. Following that up with a simple statement the night after, fans were wondering what was next for him.
On the April 27 Raw, he announced an open challenge for any member of the men’s locker room. Grayson Waller, wanting to prove himself, ended up answering and ended up getting beat in quick fashion. Will this invitation hinder his progression on the main roster or will it make him more intimidating and powerful?
Femi Needs to Take Part in an Actual Feud
For the first couple of months on the main roster, Femi was mainly used in squash matches. But when Lesnar wanted an opponent for WrestleMania, he answered the call. After many tense confrontations, they had a great match.
Following that up with more open challenges wouldn’t make much sense. Everyone knows what Femi can do, especially after his match with Lesnar. Three to five minute squash matches would halt his career growth. Getting into another feud would test his opponent and potentially get them over as well.
Raw General Manager, Adam Pearce, is always watching, so a program with another heavyweight like Rusev or a fellow new roster addition like Ethan Page could potentially get him championship opportunities very soon. An open challenge sounds nice, but he needs to work with other wrestlers in a program to really get his main roster career going.
Who’s feeling brave enough to step up to @Obaofwwe? 👀 pic.twitter.com/CRuBEhbike
— WWE (@WWE) April 29, 2026
An Open Challenge Could Lead to a Feud or Multiple Matches
The WWE United States Championship is known for the title holders giving out open challenges, with Carmelo Hayes doing just that. Each week new challengers arose, but one man kept going back for more.
Hayes won the title from Ilja Dragunov in December, who was determined to get it back. Dragunov beat him two weeks prior, with Hayes retaining two more times during his reign. Many different wrestlers challenged Hayes, but Dragunov kept popping up every couple of weeks. There’s no rule that says an open challenge can only be accepted once.
Femi could get a quick or sneaky victory over someone, and they’d want another chance to beat him. That could develop into a full-time rivalry. Hayes put out an open challenge, and Dragunov kept answering. There’s no reason why someone couldn’t keep going after Femi and starting a feud in the process.
The Next Few Weeks Will Be Very Important
Whenever an open challenge is issued, the result could go either way. A jobber could issue an open challenge and get demolished in the ring. The United States Champion could be welcomed by someone who obviously isn’t winning.
It seems like Femi’s situation won’t be that different. That’s why it’s important for him to get the right people in the ring with him for this to be effective. If someone like Akira Tozawa or Otis answers, it’ll be a fun match, but everyone knows Femi will win that match.
But if the open challenge is answered by equally powerful guys such as Bron Breakker and Rusev, or returning guys like Sheamus and Xavier Woods, he will be pushed to his limits in a huge way. Beating Lesnar was a huge feat for him, and this open challenge has to go well to keep his momentum going strong.
“The Oba Femi Open Challenge will commence!”
Who will step up to @Obaofwwe?! 👀 pic.twitter.com/Gi2gC7gcP2
— WWE (@WWE) April 28, 2026
