Oba Femi may have teased an imminent showdown with Roman Reigns following WWE Money in the Bank 2026, on the flip side a new report suggests that WWE has different plans for when the highly anticipated match will take place.
Femi defeated Bronson Reed in singles competition at Saturday’s premium live pay-per-view before turning his attention to the reigning World Heavyweight Titleholder during the post-show.
Addressing Reigns directly, Femi delivered a brief warning. “Tribal Chief, no more running. It’s about that time.”
The comments promptly fueled speculation that Femi could be preparing to challenge Reigns for the World Heavyweight Title in the near future.
Be that as it may, Dave Meltzer provided additional context during the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, explaining that Femi’s remarks were as reported an unscripted response to the spectators’s enthusiasm rather than an indication of an immediate title clash. “At the post-premium live event, Oba did his interview talking about Roman Reigns and made it sound like it was imminent and not at The Grandest Stage of Them All,” Meltzer laid out. “So what I was told is that he was reacting to the crowd and thought that that’s what he should do because the crowd was really into it.”
Meltzer went on to clarify that WWE is not currently planning to feature Femi against Reigns at Survivor Series — with the World Heavyweight Champion instead tipped to participate in the show’s 10-man WarGames showdown. “However the match is not scheduled for Survivor Series — obviously, Roman’s gonna be in the 10-man WarGames.”
Citing Meltzer, WWE’s ongoing plan is to hold the Femi vs. Reigns encounter at WrestleMania rather than during the next premium live premium live event cycle. “The plan is WrestleMania. To add further context, and he did, but by responding, he said, ‘I want that gold.’ It makes everyone think — oh, he’s gonna get the title shot in the next pay-per-view cycle, which obviously he is not.” On a related note, but he just got excited because the fans all wanted it and he had to respond.
Meanwhile, Femi continued his ongoing storyline involving Paul Heyman during the October 12 episode of Monday Night Raw.
While Femi’s post-presentation comments implied that a confrontation with Reigns could be approaching, the report indicates that WWE intends to build toward the encounter over a longer period.
As of this writing, WWE has not officially declared a encounter between Femi and Reigns, and the shared WrestleMania plans remain subject to change.