Current WWE champion thought tryout offer was fake

WWE has molded its developmental program into a system unlike anything the pro wrestling world has ever seen. With the resources of the Performance Center, the company has recruited athletes from around the world and developed them into performers. However, one top star almost didn't make it because he thought he was being pranked.

Oba Femi had wrestled just 21 matches when he captured the NXT North American Championship from Dragon Lee on January 9. The Nigerian star was a track & field champion in high school and college, but while finishing his senior year he decided to put the shot put down and sign a WWE NIL contract.

Femi recently spoke with veteran journalist Jim Varsallone of The Miami Herald and revealed the interesting reaction he had after receiving an invitation to WWE's SummerSlam 2021 tryouts in Las Vegas. The 25-year-old grappler thought someone had trolled him with a fake invite, but fortunately, Femi did his research and ended up having a life-changing meeting with Triple H.

"As far as me getting involved, I was messaged by one of the NXT recruiters at the time, and they asked me, ‘Would you like to come and do a tryout in Las Vegas?’ And I said, ‘Yes, I would.’ At first I thought it was... fake, and then I did my research, I double checked, and was like, ‘Oh, this is real.’ So, I did the tryout, and I got the contract, but the only problem was, I had to go back and finish a year of school," Oba Femi said. [From 3:54 to 4:19]

Femi, who has received major backstage praise as of late, continued by commenting on how the WWE NIL program helped him wrap up his college career. The 2023 NXT Men's Breakout Tournament winner reiterated how the company was always there for him.

"I wasn’t done with college yet, and the NIL program was a platform they used to keep in touch with me for the year that I was finishing school, just so at the back-end of it they can still be there, and they showed me that my contract was still waiting for me," Oba Femi said. [From 4:20 to 4:37]

Femi has had three successful televised title defenses since winning the NXT North American Championship from Dragon Lee. He won their rematch at Vengeance Day, then two weeks later he retained over Lexis King. Femi's last WWE TV title defense came on March 12 when he defeated Brooks Jensen.

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Oba Femi set for major challenge at WWE NXT Stand & Deliver 2024

The fourth annual WWE NXT Stand & Deliver PLE will take place during WrestleMania XL Weekend, and the card is shaping up to be a big one for the brand.

Officials confirmed that Oba Femi will defend the NXT North American Championship in a Triple Threat at Stand & Deliver 2024. His opponents will be Josh Briggs and Dijak.

Plans for top Stand & Deliver 2024 matches and a major call-up were revealed just this past week by backstage sources. While more matches are expected, the current announced line-up for Stand & Deliver is as follows:

• Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes
• NXT Tag Team Champions Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin defend vs. Tournament Winners
• NXT North American Champion Oba Femi defends vs. Dijak vs. Josh Briggs
• NXT Women's Champion Lyra Valkyria defends vs. Roxanne Perez
• NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov defends vs. Tony D'Angelo

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda Wrestling for full NXT coverage and all breaking WWE news. Stand & Deliver 2024 will take place on Saturday, April 6 from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. The event has a special start time of 12pm ET on Peacock.