For the past several weeks, WWE held several matches for the King and Queen of the Ring tournament. At Night of Champions last Saturday in Saudi Arabia, two winners were crowned, earning them championship matches at SummerSlam. Oba Femi won for the men, and IYO SKY won for the women.
Femi took down Jey Uso, and Sky beat Liv Morgan to win. But on the June 29, 2026 episode of Monday Night Raw, Femi made a decision that not only shocked fans, but will turn out to be a career-defining moment.
When he was going to pick either Roman Reigns or Sami Zayn, Brock Lesnar came walking down the ramp. He beat him at WrestleMania: Vegas but lost to him at Clash in Italy. After a heated confrontation, he decided to face him at SummerSlam in a Hell in a Cell match, postponing his championship quest. This is a decision that has potentially career-altering implications if he beats Lesnar at SummerSlam.
Oba Femi Has to Finish His Story with Brock Lesnar
When Femi beat Lesnar at WrestleMania: Vegas, he thought he was done with him, so he started up the Oba Femi open challenge after beating the War Raiders the following Monday. It lasted a couple of weeks before he got attacked by a returning Lesnar. This set in motion their match at Clash in Italy, which he lost. Afterward, he hurled verbal abuse throughout his journey in the King of the Ring tournament, daring Lesnar to face him again.
He told Raw General Manager Adam Pearce that the title shot can wait. Facing Lesnar for a third time is what he has to do. He can face a champion at Money in the Bank, Survivor Series, or even WrestleMania next year. The title opportunity has been postponed, not taken away from him. Provoking Lesnar led to a third match, which is what he’s wanted this whole time. By making this decision, he feels like this is the best time to beat Lesnar potentially.
He Recognizes the Crowded Title Pictures
Right now, Reigns is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion on Raw and Zayn is the Undisputed WWE Champion on Friday Night SmackDown, with the latter winning the title at Night of Champions. Reigns will face Seth Rollins at SummerSlam, while Zayn’s next opponent will either be Cody Rhodes or Jey Uso.
Both of those rivalries have stories lasting several years. Reigns and Rollins were a part of the Shield, with Rollins’ betrayal still a storyline fourteen years later.
Zayn has a complicated relationship with both Rhodes and Uso, and whoever wins will write another chapter in their story. Femi choosing Lesnar allows for those stories to be told at one of the biggest PLE’s that WWE holds every year.
Inserting him as a challenger sounds nice, but there’s too much risk involved, especially if he loses and fails to become champion. Fans would not like that at all. Having him face Lesnar in a non-title match allows for the necessary stories to be told for the current champions.
A Victory Would Prove He’s Championship Ready
Femi had an extremely impressive run in NXT over the last few years. He held the NXT North American Championship and the NXT Championship. His run as NXT North American Champion lasted 273 days, and his two runs as NXT Champion lasted 263 days and 31 days.
The second run would’ve gone a lot longer if he hadn’t relinquished the belt to move up to the main roster. Since his call-up, he’s had impressive matches, but hasn’t had a championship match yet.
He would’ve had one at SummerSlam, but he decided to face Lesnar instead. There’s no question that he knows how much of a challenge Lesnar is, which is why he wanted the match to happen. Even though there’s no title on the line, a win would feel like a championship victory due to Lesnar’s impressive size and strength. Winning against Lesnar would show him and the fans that he can challenge and potentially win a main roster championship.
