Roman Reigns may have an even bigger reason to keep winning in WWE, and it could have everything to do with Oba Femi. After another major victory at Crown Jewel 2026, there’s growing speculation that WWE is deliberately protecting The OTC from taking a loss until it’s time for a massive showdown with Femi.
Reigns defeated Sami Zayn at WWE Crown Jewel on November 7, surviving a chaotic main event that saw two referees get taken out before he finally put Zayn away with two consecutive Spears. The victory gave Reigns the Men’s Crown Jewel Championship while keeping his momentum as World Heavyweight Champion intact.
During the November 8 edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed what could be next for Reigns and Zayn. The conversation initially centered on Penta potentially defeating Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Championship, but Meltzer brought up an interesting possibility involving Reigns and Femi.
Meltzer predicted Penta would eventually defeat Zayn for his championship, while Alvarez suggested the title change could happen on the final RAW of 2026 or the first episode of 2027. But when the conversation turned to Reigns, Meltzer suggested WWE has a much bigger match in mind.
“It only makes sense for Penta to beat Sami Zayn. I mean, ain’t been. I don’t think. I don’t see him beating Roman Reigns. That doesn’t. It doesn’t seem that they want to be Roman Reigns until Obafemi comes around.”
The transcript appears to contain a wording error, but Meltzer’s point was that WWE doesn’t seem interested in having Reigns lose before Femi enters the championship picture. Alvarez immediately agreed, pointing to what happened at Crown Jewel as evidence that WWE is keeping Reigns strong.
“That was clear at Crown Jewel.”
This isn’t the first time Reigns and Femi have been connected to a major WWE match. Back in September, Meltzer revealed that WWE was believed to be building toward Roman Reigns vs. Oba Femi as the Sunday main event of WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia. That possibility gained even more traction in October when WrestleVotes indicated that Reigns vs. Femi remained one of WWE’s leading WrestleMania 43 possibilities. There has also been plenty of tension between the two outside of those potential plans. Femi directly called out Roman Reigns following WWE Money in the Bank on October 10 after defeating Bronson Reed.
“Tribal Chief. No more running. It’s about that time.”
Femi hasn’t exactly been sitting around waiting for that opportunity, either. He made a surprise appearance at Crown Jewel and destroyed Bronson Reed with a massive toss powerbomb off the stage through a table, helping Penta and Je’Von Evans capture the WWE World Tag Team Championships.
For now, WWE hasn’t confirmed a match between Reigns and Femi, and Meltzer’s latest comments don’t establish that the company has finalized its plans. However, his belief that WWE wants to avoid beating Reigns before Femi comes around adds another piece to the ongoing WrestleMania 43 speculation.
If that’s the direction WWE is taking, Reigns’ Crown Jewel victory might have been about more than beating Sami Zayn. WWE could be keeping The OTC protected until Femi is ready to challenge him on the biggest stage possible. And if the company is saving that showdown for WrestleMania 43, it’s going to take something pretty significant to knock Reigns off his throne before then.
Do you think WWE is intentionally protecting Roman Reigns so Oba Femi can be the one to finally take him down at WrestleMania 43, or should someone else get that opportunity first? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
