‘I didn’t see it’: Former WWE star Jinder Mahal has changed his mind about Oba Femi

Follow us on Google Discover

Oba Femi is one of the fastest rising stars in the WWE right now, but former champion Jinder Mahal wasn’t always convinced The Ruler would be a success.

Femi is currently competing in the King of the Ring tournament and is set to face Dominik Mysterio in the next round.

The winner of that tournament will earn a title shot at SummerSlam, but Oba may well have one eye on his third match with Brock Lesnar instead.

Femi has come a long way in a short period of time, already going toe-to-toe with The Beast, but Jinder has now admitted he never saw Oba being a star when he was still in NXT.

Jinder Mahal didn’t see a bright future for Oba Femi in WWE

Speaking on the Busted Open Podcast this week, the former WWE Champion said Terry Taylor told him that Oba had a ‘very, very bright future’, but he ‘didn’t see it’.

Now though, Jinder admits he is ‘blown away’ by Femi and even made comparisons between his and UFC fighter Alex Pereira’s entrances.

He said: “I love Oba Femi. When I was in NXT two years ago, Oba Femi had just started training, and I remember Terry Taylor telling me that this kid has a very, very bright future. And at that time, I didn’t see it. But as he evolved, as he progressed, as he grew into himself as a superstar, wow, I am completely blown away.

“Now, I’m going to make a little bit of a controversial statement. Wrestling, actual in-ring wrestling, is one of the least most interesting parts of the wrestling business of a wrestler. I’m all about the aura, the showmanship, and the story.

“So, obviously, Oba, that entrance, it reminds me of Alex Pereira’s entrance in UFC where he does the march and then he points the arrow and releases it, and the crowd goes crazy. That, the Oba march, wow. Like, that march is going to transcend wrestling. It’s going to be in pop culture if it isn’t already. It’s just so catchy and super cool, especially when he does it.”

Jinder has a good point. Wrestling is more than just about the actual wrestling, and getting over with the crowd can easily be done with a good entrance.

We saw Jey Uso given a serious push because his ‘yeet’ entrance got huge reactions from crowds wherever he went.

Seth Rollins’ theme song was similarly popular for a long time, while LA Knight’s ‘Yeah’ pushed him up the card for a while.

Oba is more than just an entrance, though; he is one of the most imposing figures in WWE right now, and it’s not surprising that it has been suggested elsewhere that Femi is expected to beat Lesnar next time they face off.