Isaac Odugbesan, former SEC shot put champion out of Alabama, was crowned NXT North American Champion Tuesday night after defeating Dragon Lee. Odugbesan, known to WWE audiences as Oba Femi, won the title after cashing in his NXT Breakout Tournament contract.
According to Chris Vannini of The Athletic, Femi was part of WWE’s inaugural NIL class and is the first former NIL athlete to win gold in the company.
Femi, 22, signed to the company on Dec. 8, 2021. He made his in-ring debut on the Nov. 18, 2022 episode of NXT Level Up, losing to Dante Chen. On April 25, 2023, he made his NXT debut, defeating Oro Mensah.
Femi earned the right to cash in his contract on Lee after winning the 2023 Men’s NXT Breakout Tournament. He defeated Riley Osborne in the tournament final at NXT: New Year’s Evil last Tuesday. Femi picked his spot right, as Lee had just endured a grueling title defense against Lexis King.
Oba Femi makes WWE history by winning NXT North American Championship
WWE first began its venture into the NIL space in 2021, signing 15 athletes, including Femi. Haley Cavinder and Hanna Cavinder, who played collegiate basketball at Miami, were also part of the first NIL class.
“The WWE NIL program has the potential to be transformational to our business,” said Paul Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Global Talent Strategy and Development, in 2021. “By creating partnerships with elite athletes at all levels across a wide variety of college sports, we will dramatically expand our pool of talent and create a system that readies NCAA competitors for WWE once their collegiate careers come to a close.”
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