Oba Femi says he is "open to" facing former WWE star

WWE NXT Superstar Oba Femi recently responded to an apparent challenge issued by a 34-year-old wrestler. The star in question is AJ Francis (fka Top Dolla), who expressed interest in sharing the ring with The Ruler.

Dolla was released from WWE in September of last year. Following his exit, he joined TNA Wrestling in January 2024. In June of this year, Francis defeated Laredo Kid to win the TNA Digital Media Title. However, he lost the championship to PCO after a 62-day reign.

During a recent interview on Wrestleholics, AJ Francis stated he would like to wrestle the former longest-reigning NXT North American Champion if he ever returned to WWE.

In an interview with The Takedown on Sports Illustrated, Oba Femi stated his openness to a match against Top Dolla. The Ruler believes that a bout with the former Hit Row member would be a unique opportunity to showcase the power and intensity of big man vs. big man wrestling.

"That's one of the things that excites me about potentially working with AJ Francis is that it’s big man/big man, and you rarely get to do that. So I'm open to it," Femi said. [H/T: Sports Illustrated]

Oba Femi warns current WWE champion

At WWE NXT Deadline, The Ruler won the Iron Survivor Challenge, earning a future shot at Trick Williams' championship. The two superstars even came face-to-face in the ring before The Anointed One defended the NXT Championship against Eddy Thorpe.

During an interview before Trick Williams defended his title against Thorpe on the white-and-silver brand, Oba Femi issued a warning to him.

"I just came to tell you good luck on your match with Eddy tonight because whoever wins becomes NXT Champion and faces me, and for what it's worth, I hope you win tonight because in three weeks at New Year's Evil, I'm going to be taking the NXT Championship from somebody and I hope that person is you," he said.

The Anointed One successfully retained his NXT Championship against Eddy. It remains to be seen who will emerge victorious between Williams and Femi at New Year's Evil on January 7, 2025.