Oba Femi has responded to criticism of his debut segment on Monday Night Raw, which aired the week after the Royal Rumble. The appearance marked Femi’s official transition to the main roster from NXT, where he had been a dominant North American Champion. Since the Royal Rumble, Femi has appeared on both Raw and SmackDown as a free agent.
On the episode of Raw in question, Femi made his entrance and immediately attacked The War Raiders, Erik and Ivar, before they were scheduled to compete in a tag team match. Femi laid out both men with relative ease. While the general reception to Femi’s arrival has been positive, a section of the fanbase criticized the segment. Some fans argued that Femi dismantling an established tag team like The War Raiders so easily made Erik and Ivar look weak by comparison.
Responding to that sentiment during an interview on the No-Contest Wrestling podcast, Femi dismissed the idea that the segment was detrimental to his opponents. Instead, he framed it as a necessary display of his own capabilities.
“I think the main roster audience has not fully understood the concept that it’s Oba Femi. I don’t think they understand yet. They will. They’ll catch on. Oba Femi destroying the War Raiders is not a knock on the War Raiders. That’s just how good Oba Femi is,” Femi said. “The sooner they realize that, the sooner they understand that, the easier things will be for them.”
Relationship With Ivar
Femi also discussed the personal significance of working with Ivar during his introduction to the main roster audience. He revealed that Ivar has played a role in his development as a professional wrestler.
“It was just that more special that it was him. He’s poured so much into me as a person, me as a character, my body of work. His fingerprints are all over my stuff. So I was just happy that he was part of that moment. Even though he was at the bottom end of that moment. But that’s the kind of person he is – he knows the business, he knows what it’s about,” Femi explained.
He continued by praising Ivar’s toughness and mentorship, noting that taking offense from “The Ruler” is a difficult task for anyone.
“He ate some big bombs that day. Kudos to him, he’s still up and alive. You take something huge from The Ruler, it’s not easy to get back up. But I do appreciate Ivar as a mentor, as a teacher, as an opponent and as a human being.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit the No-Contest Wrestling podcast with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
