Summary

Rusev sees some of his own early run in Oba Femi.

While making the media rounds ahead of WrestleMania 42, Rusev was asked about Femi and said the NXT powerhouse reminds him of the way he arrived in WWE years ago, young, physically dominant, and difficult for anyone to stop. Femi is scheduled to face Brock Lesnar on WrestleMania Sunday, while Rusev is set for the Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match later that night against Penta, Je'Von Evans, Rey Mysterio, J.D. McDonagh, and Dragon Lee.

Quote from Rusev

Speaking on TMZ's *Inside The Ring* podcast, Rusev said:

"Every time I see him, he kind of reminds me of me, right? Because when I came in, Oba. I’m talking about Oba. I came in, I was young. I was 28 years old. I was big, I was strong, I was dominating everybody. For over a year, I was undefeated..."

What the Oba Femi comparison means before WrestleMania 42

Rusev putting Oba Femi in that conversation adds even more weight to Femi's WrestleMania 42 spotlight, because it frames him as a monster prospect entering the weekend with the same kind of dominant aura Rusev had during his first major WWE push.

It also gives Femi's match with Brock Lesnar a little more texture. The comparison does not change the stakes on paper, but it does underline how WWE is presenting Femi going into one of the biggest matches of his career.

Sources

Rusev while speaking on TMZ's Inside The Ring podcast