One of Us highlights celebrities, entertainers, and public figures who once competed in track & field. Before the spotlight, they were lining up in the same lanes, jumping in the same pits, and running the same races as athletes across the country.
In 2017, Isaac Odugbesan arrived in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, as a prized all-utility throwing recruit, set to star for Middle Tennessee State University's track and field team. The Lagos, Nigeria-raised Odugbesan wasted no time making his mark as a Blue Raider, winning the Conference USA shot put title his first outdoor season.
He followed that up the following academic year with a pair of conference shot crowns, both indoor and outdoor, then, as the school record holder in the shot, transferred to the University of Alabama to take on SEC-level competition.
As a member of the Crimson Tide, Odugbesan similarly locked into a groove almost immediately. After a fourth-place showing in the shot put at his first SEC indoor championships, he returned the following indoor campaign an even more impressive athlete.
Odugbesan developed into one of the nation's best throwers at Alabama, winning three SEC shot put titles over his final two seasons and earning a pair of NCAA indoor All-American honors. He saved his best for the end, too, throwing a lifetime-best 20.85m (68'5") at the 2022 NCAA East Regional before closing his collegiate career with a third-place finish at nationals.
Oba Femi's Shot put PR
68'5"
Odugbesan's lifetime best in the shot put (20.85m), thrown at the 2022 NCAA East Regional. It still stands as the Alabama school record.
Odugbesan remains the Alabama school record holder in both the indoor and outdoor shot, and one of the most decorated throwers of any specialty in school history. He graduated in 2022 with a degree in studio art.
And yet, he's gone on to far greater renown for the athletic venture he's undertaken since exiting the shot put ring, one that seemingly allows him to blend his flair for artistry and theatrics with his penchant for feats of strength.
Enter Oba Femi
Soon after his final outing in a 'Bama kit, Odugbesan began training at the WWE Performance Center, and the following year, he was tapped to join WWE's NXT program, the organization's developmental brand. (This is a similar path to the one taken by fellow former SEC track star Bianca Blair, now better known as Bianca Belair.)
Odugbesan had planned on hacking away on the European circuit as a shot putter, competing and training his way closer and closer to becoming truly internationally competitive, when the WWE opportunity presented itself. He was just one of countless NCAA star athletes the professional wrestling organization has recruited in recent years for their athletic abilities, imposing physiques, and infectious personalities. There's even a formalized NIL program aimed at attracting future stars via this pipeline.
And WWE has been particularly aggressive about looking beyond the college sports that traditionally produce professional athletes. Track and field stars, gymnasts, collegiate wrestlers, volleyball players and others can leave school as some of the best athletes in the country without an obvious path toward a lucrative professional career. WWE recognized an opportunity. Rather than exclusively searching the independent wrestling circuit for its next generation of stars, it could recruit elite college athletes, then teach them the wrestling and entertainment sides of the business.
Odugbesan was almost a perfect test case for the idea. He was 6-foot-4, 275 pounds, an SEC champion and one of the best collegiate shot putters in the country. What he wasn't was a professional wrestler. WWE figured it could teach him that part.
Photo by Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images
And almost immediately, the WWE was rewarded for its pursuit of Odugbesan, who wrestles under the alias Oba Femi. For a record 10 months in 2024, he reigned as the WWE NXT North American champion. And in 2026, he entered the Royal Rumble at No. 1, and immediately entered into a back-and-forth rivalry with WWE legend Brock Lesnar. (It's worth noting that Lesnar's daughter, Mya Lesnar, who threw collegiately at Colorado State, placed eighth at last year's U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the shot put.)
The Next Big Thing
Earlier this month, that rivalry concluded at a Hell in a Cell match at SummerSlam, in which Femi defeated Lesnar. The match was Lesnar's last. He announced his retirement from professional wrestling days later, but only after touting Femi as "the next big thing," a fitting choice of words for the man who carried that nickname himself more than two decades earlier.
Whether you're a wrestling aficionado or not, it's hard not to appreciate Odugbesan's second act. He left the shot put ring as arguably the greatest shot putter in Alabama history. Four years later, Oba Femi might just be WWE's next big thing.
In 2017, Isaac Odugbesan arrived in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, as a prized all-utility throwing recruit, set to star for Middle Tennessee State University's track and field team. The Lagos, Nigeria-raised Odugbesan wasted no time making his mark as a Blue Raider, winning the Conference USA shot put title his first outdoor season.
He followed that up the following academic year with a pair of conference shot crowns, both indoor and outdoor, then, as the school record holder in the shot, transferred to the University of Alabama to take on SEC-level competition.
As a member of the Crimson Tide, Odugbesan similarly locked into a groove almost immediately. After a fourth-place showing in the shot put at his first SEC indoor championships, he returned the following indoor campaign an even more impressive athlete.
Track & field has shaped countless athletes long before they became household names. One of Us looks back at the track & field careers of celebrities who once competed in the sport — proving that no matter where life takes them, they started as one of us.
