Roman Reigns Isn’t the Path to Oba Femi’s First World Title

Oba Femi is on the verge of becoming the face of WWE. The Nigerian star has become extremely over with fans from the moment he answered Brock Lesnar’s WrestleMania 42 challenge on Raw back in March. Over the last five months, the Ruler has been kept busy with a three-match feud with the Beast and a King of the Ring tournament win that went nowhere. Femi is going to be a world champion soon. The only question is when. The most common answer is that his moment will come when he beats Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 43 in Riyadh. That, however, is eight months away. Can Femi and fans wait so long? If not, watch out CM Punk and hold on tight to your WWE Championship.

Oba Femi Can’t Wait Until Roman Reigns and WrestleMania 43

• The Rock passed the torch to Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam 2002.
• Oba Femi vs. Roman Reigns should have been the main event of SummerSlam 2026.
• Reigns and Femi are being kept busy with other opponents on Raw.

Roman Reigns vs. Oba Femi is the biggest match WWE can give fans right now, yet they’re holding off, as if WrestleMania is the only place where such a showdown can happen. This didn’t use to be the case all the time. For example, let’s look at SummerSlam 2002. 24 years ago, The Rock was WWE Champion, but his career in the ring was winding down, with a Hollywood career on the horizon. At WWE’s second-biggest show of the year, the Great One passed the torch to the Next Big Thing, losing to the relatively new Brock Lesnar. With one match, Lesnar became the new face of WWE for a time.

History should have repeated itself at SummerSlam 2026 with a very familiar scenario playing out all over again. This time, Oba Femi was the next big thing and the winner of King of the Ring. Reigns was The Rock, the main eventer who is getting closer to an exit. Minneapolis was the perfect time to capitalize on Femi’s immense popularity. WWE didn’t take it. Now the company must find something for both men to do for eight long months. Already, Reigns is caught up with LA Knight and a luchador tournament, while Oba Femi vs. Bron Breakker will be awesome. But then what? We’ll still have six more months to go. Having Oba Femi continue to wait is a huge risk. He shouldn’t have to. Who says Roman Reigns is the only way for him to become a world champion? Perhaps there’s an even better way.

CM Punk Can Push Oba Femi Farther Than Roman Reigns

• Kevin Owens will not beat CM Punk for the WWE Championship.
• Punk can’t feud with the same old names like Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton.
• A heel Punk gives him something new to do and helps put over Femi when he wins.

There’s a chance LA Knight could get a short World Heavyweight Championship run on Raw. Outside of that, it’s hard to imagine Reigns losing to anyone else right now. This means Femi has no one to face on the red brand, and WWE surely wouldn’t book him to beat Knight. This leaves SmackDown and the WWE Championship. Over on the blue brand, CM Punk carries the gold. Next week he faces Kevin Owens for the title. As much as K.O. deserves a second world title reign, it’s hard to see it happening yet. So let’s say, for the sake of argument, that Punk retains. What’s next? Is it more of the same main event lineup of Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Sami Zayn, and Drew McIntyre? Been there, done that.

WWE has gotten very stale due to Triple H and TKO’s lackadaisical booking. Fans have started to show their displeasure by simply not showing up. SummerSlam was half empty, and you can bet the higher ups noticed. If they care, they’ll change course and shake things up. What better way to do that than to have Oba Femi decide he’s not waiting and go after CM Punk.

Punk would push the Ruler even farther than the OTC can. He’s the master of the mic, and while Femi’s good, he’d have to step up to his game to match him. If he were to falter, it would show he’s not quite ready yet. Femi would also push Punk. Chicago’s own is pushing 50, and although he’s beloved by fans, he’s an even better heel. Imagine an intimidated Punk doing whatever it takes, including turning bad, to hold on to what could be the last world title he ever has. Such a storyline would reinvigorate Punk while also putting over Femi in a huge way were he to beat the future Hall of Famer for the WWE Championship. WWE teased a future rivalry when Punk called Out Femi at the SummerSlam post-show. It’s time to follow through.

The WWE Championship Is More Important Than the World Heavyweight Championship

• The World Heavyweight Championship is a newer belt created for a brand split.
• The WWE Title is wrestling’s biggest prize and has been held by countless legends.
• Femi and Reigns can still meet at WrestleMania 43, but with the Ruler as the champion.

That brings us to the WWE Championship itself. That’s where the prestige is at. The World Heavyweight Championship is nice and all, and is certainly a big step up from the awful Universal Title, but it’s a newer belt created for a brand split. It doesn’t carry the past glory of the name. The WWE Title is the most important belt in the history of professional wrestling, worn by decades worth of legends. If the company truly wants to make Oba Femi the face of WWE, the WWE Championship is how you do it.

This could still lead to a future match with Reigns at WrestleMania 43. Let’s say that Knight does beat the OTC. Now infuriated, Roman could set his sights on the biggest star out there, going after the Ruler and the title the Tribal Chief held for so many years. This way, we still get the WrestleMania dream match, but with a twist of who the champion is going in. Oba Femi’s time is now. WWE must strike while the iron is hot. Sorry, CM Punk, this means he goes through you.