WWE Announces That the NXT Championship Has Been Officially Vacated by Oba Femi

As previously reported, WWE NXT Champion Oba Femi shocked the wrestling world at last night’s NXT New Year’s Evil special. After defeating Leon Slater in his title defense, Femi closed out the show by leaving the title in the middle of the ring, seemingly vacating the belt.

WWE has now confirmed the NXT Championship’s status following Oba Femi’s actions last night. Per the announcement, “After his victory at #NewYearsEvil, Oba Femi has officially vacated the #WWENXT Championship. Stay tuned for more details.” The official WWE Champions page also now lists the NXT Title as vacant.

🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨

After his victory at #NewYearsEvil, Oba Femi has officially vacated the #WWENXT Championship. Stay tuned for more details. pic.twitter.com/NwMFVOuJjG

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) January 7, 2026

Oba Femi Starting His Ascension to the Main WWE Roster After Vacating the WWE NXT Championship

Femi later commented after the show on Intagram, “The End is also part of the journey. FIN!” With his vacating of the title, Oba Femi is expected to join the main WWE roster, with the wrestler reportedly joining the main roster “very soon.”

Oba Femi had recently regained the NXT Title from Ricky Saints last month at NXT Deadline 2025. He held the belt for just over 30 days before deciding to vacate it. Femi signed with WWE in late 2021 as part of the NIL program.

During his time on the NXT roster Oba Femi became a two-time NXT Champion and a North American Champion. Now, he looks to be prepping the next phase of his WWE career as part of the main roster.

At last month’s Saturday Night’s Main Event, Femi competed in a singles bout against reigning WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes. The match ended in a no-contest after Rhodes’ bitter rival, Drew McIntyre, interfered.