Oba Femi Shuts Down Accusations of Faking Accent After Promo on 1/14 WWE NXT

Oba Femi became the NXT Champion at NXT New Year’s Evil and he immediately made his presence felt with a solid promo on the January 14th edition of NXT. One instance in the promo saw him using an American accent and now he has addressed accusations of faking the accent following the show.

While speaking on the No Contest Wrestling podcast, Oba Femi addressed accusations that he faked his accent during NXT this week. Femi stated that even though some people online think his accent is fake, he actually grew up in Nigeria for 19 years, and this is his real accent. He admitted that it might be a bit exaggerated on TV, but it’s still how he talks.

Femi also explained that after living in the U.S. for seven years, he can switch between accents depending on the situation, like when he’s talking casually in a store. He said both accents are real for him, and he enjoys switching between them. Femi made it clear that he hasn’t always dreamed of being in his current position, but he’s always believed he could get there. He just wanted to give the fans something to talk about with his promo.

“Let me set the record straight. I know some people online are like, ‘Oh, the accent is fake.’ But I grew up for 19 years in Nigeria, and I don’t think people fully understand that this is my accent. Yes, it’s played up on TV for sure, but this is how I talk. I can also code-switch because I’ve been in the States for like seven years. So if I go to the store and I’m like, ‘Hey man, you put that thing in the bag,’ I can do both. People think, ‘Oh, one is real, one is fake.’ But no, both are me. I just have the ability to code-switch. And, you know, I was like, ‘Let me give them something to talk about today,’ and then I did the code-switch. I’m truly not one of those guys who will come out and be like, ‘I’ve wanted this ever since they want…’ No, I’ve always believed I could be in this position. So, you know, just giving them something to talk about.”

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Oba Femi now has a target on his back after winning the NXT Championship but he simply had to make it clear that he wasn’t faking an accent in any way and fans respect him for being so honest about this. Regardless, we’ll have to see how WWE will book Femi as the NXT Champion in the coming weeks.

What do you think about Oba Femi’s response to the accent controversy? Do you think switching accents adds to his character, or does it take away from his authenticity? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and join the conversation!

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