Roman Reigns on The Rock, Cody Rhodes, Tommy Fury’s WWE Ambitions, and NXT’s Oba Femi Absence
By Mike Chiari – Bleacher Report – November 27, 2024
Bleacher Report brings you the latest updates from the WWE Universe, including insights from Roman Reigns on WrestleMania 40, Tommy Fury’s possible WWE future, and recent rumors surrounding NXT star Oba Femi.
Roman Reigns Reflects on WrestleMania 40 Opponents and Possible Rock Match
Roman Reigns, the dominant WWE Champion, recently shared his thoughts on his WrestleMania 40 main event journey during an interview on the SI Media podcast with Jimmy Traina. The “Tribal Chief” was initially expected to face his legendary cousin The Rock in the WrestleMania 40 main event. However, after Cody Rhodes won the 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble, he initially declined to challenge Reigns but then reversed his stance following fan backlash.
Reigns explained that it never mattered to him whether it was The Rock or Cody Rhodes in the main event — the important part was that he was the center of attention and defending the WWE Championship.
“It doesn’t matter to me. I was the main event. I’m the guy that everyone wanted to dance with, you know. I am the hot chick, everyone wanted to take me out. It’s where, we just need to get there and defend this thing. It didn’t matter who it is. They are trying to stop history from happening. They are trying to take us off the pinnacle right now, so it was the same task in hand for me.”
After some tension around the storyline, The Rock turned heel and aligned with Reigns as “The Final Boss,” teaming with him to defeat Rhodes and Seth Rollins on Night 1 of WrestleMania 40. However, Rhodes ultimately defeated Reigns for the WWE title on Night 2. When asked about the possibility of a future match with The Rock, Reigns left the door open if fans expressed enough demand:
“I think our fanbase and the company’s proven that if our fans are loud enough and passionate enough about something, we’re a company who—we’re not being dictated to. We have a vision for where we’re trying to go, but we know who the consumers are. We know who’s paying their hard-earned money, and we want to satisfy those people."
"If that’s what the people want and The People’s Champ is down, I’m sure we can make something happen.”
The Rock made a surprise return recently at WWE Bad Blood but has yet to clarify his intentions or appear again. With Survivor Series on the horizon featuring a WarGames match involving The Bloodline, many anticipate The Rock could return to build toward a dream showdown with his cousin, Reigns.
Tommy Fury Shows Interest in WWE
Tommy Fury, younger brother of former heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury, hinted at the possibility of joining WWE in the future after attending a WWE event in the UK. Posting a video on YouTube, Fury expressed his appreciation for WWE superstars like Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, and Gunther, and teased his own potential wrestling aspirations:
“So guys, that is a night at the WWE complete. All the wrestlers showing love. Big up to Randy Orton. Absolutely amazing guy. Big up to Cody Rhodes, all of them, Gunther, the lot of them. Thank you to the WWE for showing us such appreciation. And I look forward to possibly climbing through them ropes one day. Who knows? But it’s been a great night.”
Tommy Fury is a talented professional boxer with an undefeated record and is notable for defeating Jake Paul, tying into the ongoing crossover appeal between boxing and professional wrestling. Given his family ties to Tyson Fury—who previously competed in WWE—and his connection to the Paul family, experts speculate Tommy could be a natural fit to feud or team with Logan Paul in WWE, attracting fans from both sports worlds.
Oba Femi’s Absence from NXT Sparks Speculation
Former NXT North American Champion Oba Femi has reportedly been absent from NXT tapings since his defeat to Tony D’Angelo at the October 27 Halloween Havoc event. Fightful Select reported no indication Femi has been backstage for NXT for over a month, leaving fans wondering about the reason behind his absence.
Femi, a standout talent who previously won the NXT Breakout Tournament and held the North American title for a record 272 days, suffered his first televised losses recently, including the championship loss and a rematch defeat to D’Angelo.
His time away could be a break to reset following the setbacks or potentially signal plans for a main roster call-up. Another possibility is that NXT creative wants to let the fallout from the losses subside before Femi returns, possibly to pursue the NXT Championship and challenge its current holder, Trick Williams.
Stay Tuned to Bleacher Report for More WWE and Wrestling News
Catch the latest episode of Ring Rust Radio for deeper analysis of these stories and all things wrestling. We’ll continue to bring you updates on Roman Reigns, The Rock, Tommy Fury, Oba Femi, and more of the hottest WWE developments.
Photo Credit: WWE/Getty Images – Roman Reigns and The Rock after WrestleMania 40 main event night in Philadelphia, PA on April 6, 2024.