Big E Says Oba Femi Might Have The Greatest Running Uppercut He’s Ever Seen In WWE After Raw Open Challenge Victory

Published: 12 hours ago by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: 12 hours ago by Dave Adamson

Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.

Big E Says Oba Femi Might Have The Greatest Running Uppercut He’s Ever Seen In WWE After Raw Open Challenge Victory

Oba Femi has seen praise from Big E, who compared the main roster call-up to Brock Lesnar, while noting the unique qualities of the WWE star.

Called up the main roster earlier this year, Oba Femi went on to make his mark in the men’s Royal Rumble match, being eliminated by Brock Lesnar, going on to answer the star’s open challenge for a match at WrestleMania 42.

With Femi having been victorious over Lesnar, who seemingly retired at WrestleMania 42, the star has gone on to issue an open challenge of his own.

Speaking on Raw Recap, Big E looked at Femi in glowing terms following the first open challenge victory over Otis on the May 4 Raw episode, saying:

“He is one of those wrestlers who feels like he was made in a lab, truly.

“Also, let’s not forget, that might be the greatest running uppercut I’ve ever seen in a WWE ring.

“I am telling you, it’s not just this man’s strength. It’s his speed, his (agility). This man moves like guys who are 200lbs lighter than he is.

“It is truly incredible. It is mind-blowing, the things he can do. What an incredible performance.”

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Big E would reflect on Femi’s handling of Otis, a powerhouse in his own right, before looking back at the debut of Lesnar as the last time WWE has seen a star like Femi, stating:

“Man, I am telling you, Oba is just made of something different. I think him having the match at WrestleMania (42) with Brock (Lesnar) was so fitting in so many different ways, is because I think that we haven’t seen anything like this since ’02, since Brock first came in.

“And, I also think that same uncanny blend of strength, speed, athleticism… the same way we couldn’t understand how Brock moved as fast as he did, how he could scoop guys up like they were 150lbs lighter than they actually were. I see that in Oba.

“Even the Pizza Toss, that he did to Otis. No struggle at all, and Otis is one of the most dense human beings you’ll ever come across. You see a big guy, I’m telling you it’s not just puffy and soft. It’s a ton of muscle.

“This guy trained at the Olympic grounds for wrestling. Trained with some of the best. People see Otis, and they say he’s fun. This dude is legitimately one of the strongest human beings you’ll ever meet, as well, and to see Oba just toy with him is truly, truly incredible.

“I hope we all… I know we understand how beloved Oba is, how much the crowd is behind him, but I hope we also understand you’re not getting an athlete like this to come around very often.

“I hope we can understand this is a different kind of unique and special, and I’ve been around some of the biggest, strongest men. This guy is in his own tier, and it feels like he’s just scratching the surface of what he can do in WWE.”

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With Sam Roberts noting that Lesnar’s arrival saw the industry move around him, he would praise Femi for the microphone skills he has brought to WWE, with Big E going on to agree, stating:

“Absolutely. Even just that moment. I think what also makes him special is the way that he is able to connect with the crowd, I think for someone who is so new into his main roster run. Even just the moment where he’s kind of pantomiming the pop-up, and he’s looking at Otis, and he’s kind of… I love that you get to see him think out loud.

“Us, as fans, we get to understand “oh, I’m not going to run to the next move, get my business done and get out of here”, I think that allows fans to feel even more connection with him, because you understand that not only is he a special athlete, but he’s got this rare charisma as well.

“He’s truly a one-of-one. I don’t see him and think he’s a cookie-cutter version of this former superstar or that former superstar. I’m sure he’s borrowed from a lot of the greats before him.”

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Big E would go on to note that Oba Femi is one of the superstars to recently be called up to the main roster who “checks every box”.

The Dominance Of Oba Femi

Of his main roster matches to date, Oba Femi is yet to be in a showing that lasts longer than five minutes. The victory over Brock Lesnar came in at 4m 46s, with only his match against The Miz on the February 27 episode of WWE SmackDown going longer, at 4m 52s.

Undefeated, at the time of writing, perhaps that’s an ideal use for Oba Femi, allowing him to build up a streak of victories in the same way that Goldberg did in WCW.

With Big E noting that Femi “toyed with” Otis during their match on the May 4 episode of WWE Raw (which ran to under two minutes), there’s something to be said of that being a feature with the popular star.

The idea that he is the lion of the pack, playing with his prey before delivering the finishing blow would make quite the montage video when the Premium Live Event matches are coming.

Beyond being the lion, though, Femi has demonstrated his natural skills on the microphone, something that isn’t often seen among the big men who have carved a path before him. Even Lesnar didn’t speak that often, with Paul Heyman being the mouthpiece for the Beast Incarnate. The same is true of Goldberg, who would say very little during his undefeated streak, adding to the mystery of the WCW star.

It all sets Femi apart in exactly the way that Big E describes. A rare star of power and personality that will, no doubt, be a major player at the very top of the WWE card in the future.

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