Oba Femi could have gone straight for Roman Reigns at SummerSlam, but WWE apparently has something much bigger in mind for The Ruler.
While speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said WWE absolutely could have had Oba Femi go straight after Roman and use SummerSlam to make him a monster overnight. They just didn’t.
“They could put Oba over Roman. They could’ve sat here and gone, ‘We’ve got to make a new star. Let’s put Oba over Roman Reigns at SummerSlam.’ They could’ve done it.”
That sounds like the obvious move on paper, but Meltzer said WWE’s mindset has changed. It’s no longer just about finding the right time to make a guy. Now, if the match feels big enough, WWE wants it on the WrestleMania board.
“But their mentality is just that if he’s the guy, we want to make the guy… This is a weird thing. Before, if you wanted to make the guy, you figured out the right time to make the guy and did it.”
Meltzer said that thinking has created a strange system where even SummerSlam can feel too small for certain matches. He admitted he gets why WWE would look at Oba vs. Roman and immediately think WrestleMania. That is a massive match, especially if the whole point is turning Oba into the guy.
“Now, you have to do it at WrestleMania because if it’s SummerSlam, it’s not strong enough. If it’s on a B pay-per-view, heavens no. So they’ve created this weird caste system. Again — and I’m thinking the same way — sitting there going, ‘Oh God, Roman Reigns and Oba… we’ve got to save that for WrestleMania. We can’t do it now.’”
For now, the plan appears to be simple. Keep Oba Femi dangerous, keep him winning, and make fans wait for the Roman Reigns match at WrestleMania 43 next year.
“That is the mentality. You get him over. The idea is he’s an unbeatable monster, and we take our time to get to WrestleMania.”
That is how Brock Lesnar ended up in the middle of all this. Oba opened the June 29 edition of RAW as the 2026 King of the Ring, and fans were waiting to hear which title he would chase at SummerSlam. Before he could make that call, Lesnar showed up with Paul Heyman and turned the whole thing sideways.
Brock congratulated Oba, claimed he does not watch the show, and then made it clear he had heard enough about Oba calling him a coward and a “b*tch” behind his back. Seconds later, Lesnar hit him with a low blow and dropped him with an F5.
Oba was not about to leave it there. As Brock walked off, he grabbed the microphone and said Lesnar was standing right in front of him and was “still a b*tch.” That was all it took. Oba challenged Brock for SummerSlam, and Lesnar accepted before making it Hell in a Cell.
Adam Pearce later caught up with Oba backstage to make sure he knew what he was doing. Oba made it clear he was not worried about losing the title shot, because the championship will still be waiting when he wants it.
“The title is always going to be there, the championships are not going anywhere, I’ll take that when I want it.”
So there it is. WWE could have pulled the trigger on Oba Femi vs. Roman Reigns at SummerSlam, but it sounds like they may be saving that bullet for WrestleMania. Brock Lesnar gets Oba in August, and if WWE plays it right, The Ruler could come out of Hell in a Cell looking even more dangerous than before.
What do you think about WWE saving Oba Femi vs. Roman Reigns and going with Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam instead? Please share your thoughts and leave your feedback in the comments below.
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