In only two years time, and less than 60 career matches, Oba Femi has established himself as one of the rising stars within WWE, and a talent respected by some of WWE's biggest names. Of course, anyone with Femi's resume would; in his short tenure, he's claimed the NXT North American Championship, a 2023 Men's Breakout Tournament win, and the 2024 Iron Survivor competition. The latter victory has opened the door for Femi to cement his status as a potential top star, with him set to battle Trick Williams for the NXT Championship at New Year's Evil.

Before that, however, Femi sat down with "Ringer Wrestling Worldwide" to talk about his meteoric rise within "NXT." While plenty of that can be attributed to Femi's ability, he also credits former WWE Champion Big E for some inspiration. While their interactions have been limited, one particular conversation they had has stuck with Femi, and helped him along the way.

"I've only spoken to him one time in person," Femi said. "This was the 2022 tryouts. I think there was a Stand & Deliver in LA. And we spoke briefly, and he said to me at that time, because I wasn't on TV in any capacity. He said 'The fact that they'd bring you to a tryout to help coaches, that means they really trust you. So just keep doing what you're doing.' And he probably doesn't even remember that he said it, because I'm sure he drops nuggets of wisdom everywhere he goes. But yeah, he said that to me. And stuff like that goes a long way. It's very encouraging. And those words paid off."

To quote this article, please credit "Ringer Wrestling Worldwide" and provide an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription