{"id":160983,"date":"2026-05-06T06:00:04","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T10:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=160983"},"modified":"2026-05-06T00:07:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T04:07:51","slug":"otis-oba-femi-wwe-raw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/05\/06\/otis-oba-femi-wwe-raw\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Otis Was the Perfect 1st Challenger for Oba Femi"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oba Femi has certainly had\u00a0<\/span><\/span>a great year<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>so far on the main roster. He entered number one at the Royal Rumble, beat guys like Rusev<\/span>\u00a0and the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>War<\/span>\u00a0Raiders, and took the win over Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania: Vegas. With those accomplishments, it seems like he would be next in line for a title opportunity. However,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>he\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>made it clear that he decides\u00a0<\/span><\/span>what\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>next for him. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

On the April 27,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>2026<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>episode of Monday Night Raw, he announced an open challenge<\/a> after beating Grayson Waller. He\u00a0<\/span><\/span>wouldn\u2019t<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>turn any<\/span>one away; he would welcome everyone to feel his power and strength. There are\u00a0probably a\u00a0lot of men in the locker room waiting for their chance to get in the ring with him and see if he can<\/span><\/span>\u00a0be beaten. The next week, the open ch<\/span>allenge officially\u00a0<\/span><\/span>began<\/span>, with Femi marching to the ring. Who could be the man that he would face?<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Otis Gave Femi a Great Challenge in the Ring<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Alpha Academy\u2019s music hit, surprising both Femi and the fans. Akira\u00a0Tozawa\u00a0stepped up to face\u00a0him, but\u00a0quickly backed out. Otis was there to take his place, which turned out to be a great decision. Two big men facing off was bound\u00a0to be a good match<\/a>, and it was. He was a smart first opponent for Femi due to that.<\/span><\/p>\n

It might\u2019ve been fun to watch, but champions like Penta and Roman Reigns weren\u2019t going to stand face-to-face with Femi because they already have storylines currently going on. <\/span><\/p>\n

Guys like Rusev and the War Raiders<\/a> already faced him and got beaten easily. A jobber wouldn\u2019t have been helpful because of who he already faced. Taking all that into consideration, the next logical option would be him. What followed was a great test. It wasn\u2019t easy for Femi to knock him down throughout the match, but once he did, he once again showed why he is a future WrestleMania main eventer.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He Once Again Showed His Worth to WWE<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Otis is one of those guys on the roster who always delivers, no matter how small the opportunity is. His run with the Money in the Bank briefcase during the Thunderdome era was entertaining. The Alpha Academy, run by Chad Gable, had a lot of great moments, including a WWE Raw Tag Team Championship win. He had an amazing showing during the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal this year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s no question that, despite his size, he is very athletic and can both give and take high-impact moves that make a match great. When he stepped up in place of Tozawa, it was clear what kind of match fans were in for. A hard-hitting, ring-shaking fight between two big guys was what was anticipated and delivered. <\/span><\/p>\n

Femi even had difficulty delivering the Fall from Grace due to his massive size. The first open challenge was great because of their similar builds and offense, making the match very exciting.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s Value in Keeping Him on the Roster<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Right now, there are a lot of eyes on WWE amidst mass releases and pay cuts to their roster. A lot of good people have left the company in the past week, but not Otis. Many people probably thought he and Tozawa would\u2019ve been released years ago. Others probably question why he is still around. What happened on Monday was a great answer to that thought. When Femi announced his open challenge, it needed to go right from the beginning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A
A photo of WWE Raw star Oba Femi. (Photo Credit: By Jonathan Rivera – https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/202897796@N07\/54556546687\/, CC BY 2.0,)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A jobber coming out would\u2019ve been a colossal waste of time. He\u2019s already beaten big guys with great ease. Who\u2019s a non-jobber that\u2019s big and hasn\u2019t faced him on the main roster? That applied to him, and he took the challenge with a determined smile on his face. Even though he lost, he gave Femi a great fight. Having someone like him on the roster is essential<\/a> to get guys with his build over, which is what he did perfectly with Femi.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n