WWE Star Recalls Referee Telling Him He Looked Handsome Mid-Match

A WWE star has explained how he makes his opponents feel at ease in matches, recalling an amusing interaction with a referee.

Following a three-year run in NXT which saw him hold the NXT Championship twice, Oba Femi faced stars of varying experience levels on his way to the main roster.

During his appearance on Stephanie McMahon’s What’s Your Story? podcast, Oba Femi was asked how he helps to relax the performers he’s sharing the ring with, if he notices they’re nervous.

Noting that he’ll often use humor for levity, Femi responded:

“Say something funny. crack a joke. Make it not about wrestling for once, and then come back to it. That’s another thing too, you can let it go, then come back to it later when they’re at ease, when they’re feeling better. 

“Sometimes press forward. Sometimes you just have to go, and with Oba Femi, you’re going. I have my different things that I do.”

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Recalling one way a referee caught him off-guard to put him at ease near the beginning of his career, Oba Femi later noted:

“I remember when I first started, one of the referees told me I looked handsome mid-match.

“I remember I was sitting in the chin lock or whatever, he said that, and I was like ‘…Okay!’ It takes you out of your head, like, he’s still the same person he is back there, out here, we’re cool, we’re good.”

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Oba Femi also spoke about his method for dealing with nerves, which you can read more about right here.

While Oba Femi only made his main roster in-ring debut in January’s Royal Rumble match, we could soon see the Nigerian star pushed as WWE’s most dominant force, if he defeats Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 42.

With Femi taking Lesnar down on the March 16 Raw episode eliciting a “holy s**t” call from Michael Cole on commentary, the company is – rightly so – presenting Oba Femi as something special.

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