Oba Femi is What WWE Thought Bron Breakker Was

Oba Femi has IT. 

Nobody knows better than WWE fans how often the promotion has tried to shove someone into the top spot, pretending all the way that they have it. Bron Breakker is slowly flirting with that status.

But that also means nobody knows better when somebody with the actual IT factor arrives on the scene. 

Arguably the best example pro wrestling fans have seen since John Cena's debut just dropped this week on the road to WrestleMania.

Femi squashing Brock Lesnar is one of those nexus points for the sport that reshapes things for a decade-plus: 

Fans have seen a disinterested, happy-to-be-here Lesnar. And they've seen when Lesnar is invested. There are classics against Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles and Samoa Joe, to name a few. 

But rarely have they seen a Lesnar who knows he's in a feud with a special one and feels a responsibility to make sure he's doing his best to create a generational moment. 

This wasn't that infamous moment where a broadcast caught Lesnar telling Drew McIntyre to stand over him and pick up the title while doing so. 

No, this was Lesnar very obviously telling Femi to put a boot on his chest after the big Fall From Grace (kudos to Lesnar…the guy took Last Ride from 'Taker for years). So wild was it, in fact, that fans think they caught Femi shedding a tear in the aftermath: 

There's nothing comparable for Breakker. Imagining him in this spot with Lesnar (which could still come later) just doesn't hit the same. A few spears and big moves and lots of fun, sure, but the Femi thing is just different. 

It's not that WWE isn't trying with Breakker. He's been involved with Seth Rollins and Paul Heyman, two all-timers in their own rights. But it's been hard to shake that feeling that in this blurred-lines era, he's sort of a community developmental project: Most fans agree he's still working on the promo thing and his character keeps flip-flopping between good and bad. 

Contrast that with Femi, who projects as a guy who just doesn't need a mic all that often. He's also a little immune to fans turning on him and getting bored once he's top guy, because as soon as that happens, they can drop the hammer on an unstoppable heel run. 

If Breakker is an agreed-upon still-developing guy by the community that they'll always cheer, Femi is the don't screw this up and get a title on him soon guy. There's just levels to this. 

It's not really a fair playing field at this point. If things continue at this pace and Femi picks up a win at 'Mania, then shoots into the main title scene as he should, it leaves Breakker's orbit. 

Then, we'll be talking about how Femi is what Vince McMahon desperately hoped and pretended "big dog" Roman Reigns was for years before the Tribal Chief persona took over. 

None of this means all is lost for Breakker. He's going to stick around for a long time at the very top. But being top guy might be out. Adjacent, maybe. He's been part of WWE's attempt at finding the next one. Gunther is off retiring legends like John Cena and might not even have a  match at 'Mania this year, which shows how things are going on the search. 

Until Femi, of course. 

This hasn't even mentioned, by the way, that Femi turns a mere 28 years old in April. WWE often seems hesitant to go all-in on guys in their mid-30s, let alone someone in their 20s. The last major, notable exception might be Bray Wyatt winning a big one when he was 29. 

Which sort of says it all, right? This isn't WWE noticing fan engagement and constantly false-starting with LA Knight, something of a merchandise mover and lovable messer-upper when it matters. 

This is WWE noticing the reactions and the potential with Femi. There's crossover appeal into the mainstream that the promotion so desperately craves, too. If there wasn't, he wouldn't be getting the Lesnar push at 'Mania in front of the biggest audience of the year. 

For what it's worth, Breaker is 28. He's still got Rollins and Heyman and plenty of time to get where he's doing. 

At this rate, Femi will be there waiting for him. And we call this an excellent problem to have, all things considered. Triple H is actually going to be correct when he talks about a "new era" soon, provided they don't fumble Femi in the coming months.