Summary

Paul Heyman had high praise for Oba Femi while discussing the powerhouse's WrestleMania 42 showdown with Brock Lesnar.

Speaking with Stephen A. Smith ahead of WrestleMania Sunday, Heyman said Femi has stood out not just because of his physicality, but because of how comfortable he looks in the moment. He described Femi as calm, poised and fully aware of how good he is without coming across as arrogant.

That confidence has become a major part of the build to Lesnar vs. Femi, especially after the two have already traded violent brawls in the run-up to the event. Heyman has also been discussing the bigger WrestleMania picture lately, including his comments on how the WrestleMania 42 plans shifted.

Quote from Paul Heyman

"He's poised. He's calm. He knows it. He knows it, but it's with no arrogance. He's not walking around saying, yeah, I know it all. You bitches just bow down and kissed my ass, and it's not that way. You sit there and you look in his eyes and you realize he's not nervous. He's not flinching. It's not overwhelming to him."

Heyman later went on to say:

"He calls himself 'The Ruler' Oba Femi and that's exactly what he was born to do. He was born to rule."

Heyman also framed Femi as the kind of opponent who can force Brock Lesnar to rise to another level:

"I would love someone that I could look at and say, 'that man can beat Brock Lesnar. That man is bigger than Brock Lesnar, than man is faster than Brock Lesnar (and) that man is a better combat athlete than Brock Lesnar,' because that's when Brock Lesnar gets challenged. The problem for Brock Lesnar in life is it's tough to find a challenge for him. It's tough to find someone that can make him raise his levels. Yes, Brock Lesnar has lost in life but who amongst us has not suffered a defeat? It's those that come back. What's the first lesson you learned when you were a kid and you're riding a bike? You fall off (and) you get back on. It's the first thing your parents teach you about riding a bike, same thing in athletics, you can't win a Super Bowl every year, but if you lose (in) one or two of them, you want it even more the next year. Finally there's somebody who can push Brock Lesnar and we can see what Brock Lesnar's limits are. We can see what Brock Lesnar's limits are. We can see what Brock Lesnar's capable of because otherwise it's just Brock Lesnar sitting there going, 'I'll just take this guy to Suplex City, I'll go home, I'll have a steak.' But this man, this Oba Femi, the momentum he's riding, the physicality that he brings, the sheer violence that he now returns to WWE is going to enable us to present the best Brock Lesnar ever."

What it could mean for Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi

Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi is being sold as more than a spectacle match, and Heyman's comments reinforce that by positioning Femi as a legitimate test rather than just another name on Lesnar's schedule.

If WWE follows that framing through on WrestleMania Sunday, the bout could do as much for Femi's standing as it does for Lesnar's aura. Even without predicting an outcome, Heyman made the point clear, Femi is being talked about like someone who belongs at that level.

Sources

As reported by Fightful