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Former Alabama athlete, SEC champion to headline WWE's 'WrestleMania'
TL;DR
Former Alabama athlete Isaac Odugbesan, now known as WWE's 'Oba Femi', will headline WrestleMania 42 against Brock Lesnar on April 19 in Las Vegas. Odugbesan is a two-time SEC champion in shot put and a notable figure in college athletics.
Key points
- Isaac Odugbesan is a former Alabama track & field standout.
- He will compete against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 42.
- Odugbesan won multiple SEC championships in shot put.
Mentioned in this story
Isaac OdugbesanBrock LesnarWWE
WrestleMania 42SECAlabama Crimson Tide
When the WWE's annual "WrestleMania" show takes place this weekend, it will feature a face that might be familiar to fans of the Alabama Crimson Tide.
That face is former Alabama track & field standout Isaac Odugbesan, who now goes by the WWE ring name "Oba Femi," and is set to participate in one of the headline matches at WrestleMania 42 this weekend. A two-day event, the match for Odugbesan will take place Sunday night, April 19, against Brock Lesnar in Las Vegas, one of the most anticipated matches on the card.
A native of Lagos, Nigeria, Odugbesan originally came to Alabama prior to the 2019-20 track & field season after spending his freshman campaign at Middle Tennessee State. There, Odugbesan won the 2019 Conference USA championship in the shot put and went on to finish fourth in the event during the 2020 SEC indoor track and championships in his debut season with the Crimson Tide.
As a junior during the 2020-21 season, Odugbesan won both the SEC indoor and outdoor title in the shot put, the latter of which was Alabama's first conference champion in the event since 1980. Odugbesan was also named an outdoor Second Team All-American in 2021 and went on to win a third SEC title in the indoors in 2022 as a senior. He did so with a school-record toss of 20.71 meters.
Following his time at Alabama, Odugbesan joined WWE as part of the company's inaugural "Next In Line" class in 2021 and has since capitulated to wrestling stardom under the ring name "Oba Femi," where he is a two-time NXT champion.
The former Crimson Tide standout is now set to headline WWE's biggest event this Sunday against Lesnar, a veteran who has won championships in the NCAA, WWE, and UFC, and has been among the biggest names in wrestling over the last decade-plus.
"WrestleMania 42" will take place this Saturday-Sunday from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Q&A
Who is Isaac Odugbesan and what is his background in sports?
Isaac Odugbesan is a former Alabama track & field athlete who won multiple SEC championships in shot put before transitioning to WWE, where he is known as 'Oba Femi'.
When and where is WrestleMania 42 taking place?
WrestleMania 42 will take place on April 19 in Las Vegas, featuring a highly anticipated match between Isaac Odugbesan and Brock Lesnar.
What achievements did Isaac Odugbesan have in college athletics?
Odugbesan won the SEC indoor and outdoor shot put titles and set a school record with a toss of 20.71 meters during his time at Alabama.
