WWE's Growing Problem with Oba Femi

Oba Femi has had a breakout year for WWE, enjoying a magical run through the main roster that has seen him dominate the competition, defeat Brock Lesnar in two of their three wars, and win the King of the Ring tournament.

He is incredibly popular with fans and looks every bit the future star that Lesnar labeled him at the conclusion of their Hell in a Cell Match at SummerSlam.

The meteoric rise and early career triumphs are not without a large, growing problem for WWE.

The Waiting Game

Femi exploded onto the scene in WWE and within three months of his main roster call-up, defeated The Beast Incarnate clean and in the center of the ring. He lost the next match-up, barely, then put an end to Lesnar's Hall of Fame-worthy career inside the unforgiving confines of Hell in a Cell.

There is no better way for WWE to have introduced Femi to the masses and announced to the world that he is the next big thing than the way they have booked him.

Except when a star arrives in WWE and immediately conquers the seemingly unconquerable, there are only so many directions one can go and still maintain their momentum.

For Femi, beating and retiring Lesnar (twice) was a blessing and a curse in that the only logical next step for him is vanquishing Roman Reigns or CM Punk and claiming one of the company's top two titles.

WWE, however, appears content delivering the slow build, with Femi likely winning the Royal Rumble and challenging for one of those titles at WrestleMania 43.

That show is still nearly nine months away.

The only thing that can possibly happen between now and then is that Femi loses momentum. Even his rivalry with Bron Breakker, a showdown between two men expected to carry the company well into the future, feels like a step down for The Ruler.

That is not an indictment of Breakker. There are levels to this, though, and to suggest that the second-generation star has not been adversely affected by baffling creative would be an understatement.

A match with Femi clearly means more to him than it does to The Ruler.

That there is unlikely to be a clean finish means the two will keep each other busy for a few months. That will benefit one-half of the pairing while leaving fans to speculate when Femi will step up to Reigns.

Resisting Creative Misfires

WWE Creative has not had the best track record over the last two years, with head-scratching decisions hurting story progression, leading to nonsensical developments, and stunting the growth of some of its top young stars.

Case in point, Breakker, who returned at WrestleMania, defeated Seth Rollins at Backlash, but ultimately lost that feud and has been saddled in a tag team with Austin Theory in The Vision ever since.

It is to the point that it would absolutely be fair to question whether that group can effectively push Femi in a way that does not undo everything it has accomplished with him to this point.

One loss here, or a bad segment of TV there, could do considerable damage and threaten it all. Lesnar put Femi in a prime position to go out and succeed as the new smashing badass in WWE.

If someone in the room overthinks a single match or moment, it could unravel, and Femi's aura and popularity will be adversely affected. Again, nine months is a long time, with plenty of opportunities for someone to make a call that sabotages the biggest slam-dunk the company has had in decades.

Yes, WWE has carefully booked Femi to this point, except for the guaranteed title shot he willingly gave up to battle Lesnar at SummerSlam. That was a momentary lapse with little to no ill effect.

The company will not be that lucky if it fails him on the march to what feels like an inevitable and appropriate coronation as soon as WrestleMania next April.

Holding off on crowning him champion at that event would only further exacerbate the expanding problem.