Oba Femi forgoing a world championship shot to face Brock Lesnar at WWE SummerSlam has raised more questions than it has answers.
Oba Femi became the 2026 WWE King of the Ring by defeating Jey Uso in the final of the tournament at Night of Champions this past Saturday. As a result, he earned himself a world title match at SummerSlam for either the Undisputed WWE Championship or the World Heavyweight Championship. Unlike Queen of the Ring IYO SKY, who decided on the spot, Femi didn’t make his decision at the event.
He was about to make his choice on RAW last night, but Brock Lesnar’s return changed the entire scenario. After taking a beatdown from the Beast Incarnate, Oba Femi challenged him for a match at SummerSlam, forgoing his world title shot. Lesnar accepted on the condition that it should be a Hell in a Cell contest, to which The Ruler didn’t object.
Now, fans have many questions about Oba Femi’s decision, including whether it devalued or elevated his King of the Ring victory.
Why did Oba Femi win in the first place?
The first question that comes to mind is why WWE had Oba Femi win the King of the Ring Tournament if they didn’t have any plans for him to challenge for a world championship at SummerSlam.
With their rivalry deadlocked at 1-1, WWE already had the right reason to book a final decider between Oba Femi and Brock Lesnar and give the King of the Ring crown to another worthy superstar. While fans are divided over Jey Uso, the tournament did have deserving superstars like LA Knight, Bron Breakker, or even Seth Rollins, who now has a World Heavyweight Championship match against Roman Reigns at SummerSlam despite losing in the first round.
Why didn’t they have Brock Lesnar cost him the King of the Ring final?
If WWE wanted Oba Femi in the King of the Ring Tournament but still wanted him to face Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, the creative team could’ve just had Lesnar show up during the final at Night of Champions and cost Femi the match. In that way, another superstar could’ve benefited from winning the crown.
One could argue that it sounds like an over-exhausted WWE trope, but Brock Lesnar did defeat Oba Femi clean at Clash in Italy, so it wouldn’t have hurt his momentum to lose a match via interference.
Did WWE value Brock Lesnar more than the world titles and King of the Ring?
Oba Femi’s decision to choose Brock Lesnar over a world title shot makes one wonder if WWE values Lesnar more than its two world championships.
The decision might elevate The Ruler’s character, as he prioritizes building an unshakeable legacy by slaying the Beast for good over an immediate championship. A passing of the torch moment from Lesnar does sound good. However, it might undermine the value of the two world titles and their holders in some ways, especially since Roman Reigns, a legend in his own right, holds one of them.
One might also argue that WWE also devalued the entire King of the Ring Tournament by having Femi trade the world title shot. However, considering Lesnar won the tournament in 2002, forgoing a world championship match to face a former KOTR does make a little sense.
If Femi loses to Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, does it completely ruin the credibility of his future world title shot?
RAW General Manager (and placeholder SmackDown GM) Adam Pearce caught Oba Femi backstage after the segment to make sure he heard what he said right. Femi made it clear that the world title will always be there and that he’ll take it whenever he wants it. At SummerSlam, he wants to finish what he started with Lesnar, inside Hell in a Cell.
The Ruler saying he’ll take the title later might take away the risk of him losing the world title shot he earned. However, WWE has yet to clarify whether he’d still get the opportunity despite his decision or whether he officially traded it for Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam.
If it’s the latter, and he loses the Hell in a Cell match against Brock Lesnar, WWE will have a problem reinserting him into the world title picture, as the massive setback would damage his credibility. However, rumors of Lesnar retiring for good in his hometown of Minneapolis at SummerSlam, it will be interesting to see if The Ruler slays the Beast and triumphantly re-enters the title picture.
Roman Reigns previously noted that he’d watch Oba Femi’s progress throughout the summer to consider facing him in the future. Maybe it will give WWE the time to save Femi vs. Reigns for WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia next year.
Read More: CM Punk Advertised For Multiple WWE Shows Despite Current Absence
