WWE reportedly always intended for Oba Femi to pass on the World Heavyweight Championship opportunity he earned by winning the 2026 King of the Ring tournament.
On the June 29 episode of Raw following WWE Night of Champions, Femi stunned fans by declining an immediate title match against Roman Reigns at SummerSlam, instead shifting his focus elsewhere.
“The title is always going to be there,” Femi said. “The championships are not going anywhere. I’ll take that when I want it.”
According to the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter at F4WOnline.com, the decision was part of WWE’s long-term creative plans.
Dave Meltzer reported that the company always intended for Femi to win King of the Ring before turning down the championship opportunity in favor of a showdown with Brock Lesnar, with the ultimate goal of making a future clash with Roman Reigns feel even bigger.
“The decision was always for Femi to win King of the Ring but turn down his title shot at Roman Reigns for a match with Brock Lesnar,” Meltzer wrote. “The idea was to create Reigns vs. Femi as the biggest match possible. I can’t say with certainty that means save it for WrestleMania, but my thought going in was that why should he win a shot at Reigns for SummerSlam when it’s too soon and needs more of a chase, and I don’t think his losing the first time to Reigns is the right idea.”
Meltzer went on to compare Femi’s situation to other top stars, arguing that while a high-profile loss early in a main event push benefited Cody Rhodes, that approach isn’t the right fit for every performer.
“Of course it did work for Cody Rhodes in the long-run. But each person is different. What works for Rhodes would work for Will Ospreay but failed to work for Lex Luger and wouldn’t have worked for Bill Goldberg. Femi is closer to a Goldberg. But SummerSlam was too early.”
He also shared his thoughts on Femi’s upcoming SummerSlam bout with Lesnar, which has since been announced as a Hell in a Cell match.
“As it turns out, Lesnar vs Femi, which at least based on YouTube numbers and crowd reactions is the hottest program in the company, is now in a Hell in a Cell match. The only ending that would make sense in this one is Femi winning, although with a fan base that doesn’t really care about wins and losses, it probably won’t hurt him to lose. Still, I can’t see an upside in Lesnar winning. His winning the last one was clearly to set up this one.”
Femi will face Brock Lesnar inside Hell in a Cell at SummerSlam, while Roman Reigns is set to defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Seth Rollins.
The two-night premium live event is scheduled for August 1-2 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Make sure to join us here at WrestlingHeadlines.com on 8/1 and 8/2 for live WWE SummerSlam 2026 results coverage.
