{"id":150145,"date":"2026-01-07T04:36:02","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T09:36:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=150145"},"modified":"2026-01-08T11:53:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T16:53:06","slug":"oba-femi-retains-but-vacates-the-nxt-championship-at-nxt-new-years-evil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/01\/07\/oba-femi-retains-but-vacates-the-nxt-championship-at-nxt-new-years-evil\/","title":{"rendered":"Oba Femi Retains But Vacates the NXT Championship at NXT New Year&#8217;s Evil"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In a stunning move, Oba Femi left the NXT Championship in the ring after defeating TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater. The moment instantly sparked speculation that Oba Femi had seemingly vacated the NXT Championship. WWE has been airing vignettes teasing Oba Femi\u2019s main roster debut in recent weeks. This quiet but powerful scene could be the final chapter of his run in NXT. Femi leaves NXT as the Champion, as his main roster debut now seems official.<\/p>\n<p>Following the match, NXT cut to a backstage segment with Ava, who was speaking to EVOLVE talent about possible call-ups. The conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door, followed by Robert Stone urgently asking Ava if she had seen what Oba Femi just did. The camera then cut to a striking image: the NXT Championship sitting alone in the middle of the ring, with no sign of Oba Femi in sight. There was no explanation or follow-up commentary, just the title left behind and Tony D&#8217;Angelo eyeing it down.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_150146\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-150146\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-150146 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/01\/63_NXT_01062026CM_57033.jpg\" alt=\"A graphic of Oba Femi as he retained the NXT Championship but relinquished it at NXT New Year's Evil\" width=\"1200\" height=\"676\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/01\/63_NXT_01062026CM_57033.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/01\/63_NXT_01062026CM_57033-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/01\/63_NXT_01062026CM_57033-1024x577.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/01\/63_NXT_01062026CM_57033-768x433.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-150146\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Slater vs Femi: A Modern Classic<\/h2>\n<p>The match itself was fantastic. With TNA President Carlos Silva watching on from ringside, Femi put his power on display in the early going. Slater would create an opening by sending Oba crashing into the steel ring steps. The Young OG remained in control with an impressive powerslam.<\/p>\n<p>Slater refused to back down despite the massive size difference, but The Ruler didn\u2019t relent as he tossed the challenger across the ring. Later in the match, Slater soared through the air to wipe out Oba with Big Play Slater. The TNA star finally found his footing thanks to supreme athleticism. In the end, he fell to a thunderous Fall From Grace.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL MATCH: Oba Femi vs. Leon Slater | NXT Title Match: NXT New Year\u2019s Evil 2026 highlights\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JrdAJmByyzQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>What&#8217;s Next For Oba Femi?<\/h2>\n<p>Oba Femi is a phenom. His incredible raw athleticism has made him the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/01\/03\/match-point-oba-femi-vs-leon-slater-nxt-championship-match\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Ruler of NXT<\/span><\/a> for the last two years. With a record 272 days as NXT North American Champion, an Iron Survivor Challenge Winner, and already a 2-time NXT Champion, Femi has already established himself as one of the preeminent forces in the industry. There is no telling the heights that he can reach in WWE.<\/p>\n<p>WWE officials were \u201cunbelievably impressed\u201d by Femi\u2019s recent outings on the main roster. So impressed, in fact, that the company has aired <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WrestlePurists\/status\/2005826381783966121\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">vignettes<\/a> <\/span>for him on both SmackDown and RAW, an indication that his full-time call-up was just around the corner. Wherever he\u2019ll land, the momentum now seems to be clear: The Ruler is coming to the WWE main roster.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Opportunity knocks&#8230; \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n<p>Who will step up in 2026 and rise to the top of NXT?! <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MDqBk2d1p9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/MDqBk2d1p9<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE (@WWE) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/2008736486779130027?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong><b>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><i>Header photo \u2013 WWE \u2013 Stay tuned to the\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_self\"><em><u><i>Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i> for more on WWE NXT, NXT New Year&#8217;s Evil, and other news stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><i>You can check out WWE programming on\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/title\/81788927\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Netflix<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(Raw),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usanetwork.com\/wwe-friday-night-smackdown\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>USA Network<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(SmackDown),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cwtv.com\/shows\/wwe-nxt\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>The CW<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(NXT),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/tubitv.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Tubi<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(WWE Evolve),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aetv.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>A&amp;E<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(WWE Superstar Sunday \u2013 Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments), and\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Peacock<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i> (WWE Main Event, as well as archives and premium live event streaming). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>YouTube<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>, and catch fast-paced action on X (<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/i\/events\/1773457579022155776?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>WWE Speed<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>).<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a stunning move, Oba Femi left the NXT Championship in the ring after defeating TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater. The moment instantly sparked speculation that Oba Femi had seemingly vacated the NXT Championship. WWE has been airing vignettes teasing Oba Femi\u2019s main roster debut in recent weeks. This quiet but powerful scene could be [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5457,"featured_media":150150,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12,2192,4,5,3],"tags":[622,8734],"class_list":["post-150145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-news","category-wrestling","category-wwe","category-nxt","category-wwe-universe","tag-nxt-championship","tag-oba-femi"],"modified_by":"Marilee Gallagher, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5457"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150145"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150145\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":150284,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150145\/revisions\/150284"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/150150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}