Former Alabama athlete Isaac, Oba Femi, Odugbesan wins NXT’s North American Title

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.”