Oba Femi Says Brock Lesnar Is Someone He Emulated, Recalls Facing Cody Rhodes

Oba Femi will have his biggest challenge yet when he faces Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania, and he recently spoke about how he emulated Lesnar when finding his in-ring style. The Ruler will face off with Lesnar in the opening match of WrestleMania 42 night two on Sunday. Femi has had no qualms about stepping up Lesnar, similar to how he had no fear when he faced Cody Rhodes at Saturday Night’s Main Event in December.

Femi spoke with Yahoo’s Uncrowned and spoke about his match against Rhodes, as well as Lesnar being an inspiration for who he is in the ring. You can see the highlights below:

On Lesnar Being an Influence On Him as a Performer:

“[If there was someone I was] emulating, I would say Brock, because he was always that big man, hybrid style. He was grounded and he stayed strong and powerful and did big, powerful moves. But at the same time, he was light on his feet. When I say light on his feet, I don’t mean his shooting star press or anything like that. Just the way he moved alone. I’ve always looked at Brock and Undertaker as well. There’s a certain fluidity I like in my wrestling. Certain guys possess it.”

On Stepping Up To Big Names Right Away:

“I made it a mission of mine to show these people at the main roster, show all the producers, the bookers, the head honchos that I belong. I’m not just a prospect, because this thing that [people] keep saying, ‘The future, the future, the future’ — it’s like, ‘No, man. These guys are at the top and they’re in their 40s. I’m under 30. I’m ready to go.’ And I wanted to show them that day. And what better stage to do that than side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder with the No. 1 guy in the company, Cody Rhodes? And I think I accomplished my mission. My statement was clear: I belong here.”