Oba Femi Says NXT Was His Version of the Indies and He Knew It Was Time to Move On

Oba Femi has spoken about his lengthy WWE NXT tenure with genuine gratitude while also being clear-eyed about the fact that he had reached a natural endpoint in the developmental brand before making the transition to the main roster earlier in 2026. Speaking to Cameron Hawkins of Uncrowned, Femi described his NXT run in terms that reflect a performer who maximized his time there before recognizing when it was time to move on.

“You know when you’ve done everything you can do for a company, you know when you’ve done everything you can do for a brand. You know when you’ve done everything, and you’ve tried your best, and you’ve put your all, and it’s time for you to move on to the next thing — and that’s just where I found myself when I had the NXT Championship,” Femi said. He summarized NXT’s role in his career with a memorable analogy. “I’d done everything there was to do. I’m grateful for my time in NXT, of course. That was my indies. I appreciate everything I went through there.”

Oba Femi Won Two NXT Championships and Multiple Tournament Honors During His 2021 to 2026 NXT Run

Femi’s NXT résumé fully supports his self-assessment — two NXT Championship reigns, one NXT North American Championship reign, the 2023 NXT Men’s Breakout Tournament, and the 2024 Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge across a five-year run from 2021 to 2026. Since his main roster debut he has not lost a singles match, positioning him as one of WWE‘s most protected and carefully built new stars heading into his WrestleMania 42 debut against Brock Lesnar on Night Two on April 19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.