Wed Jan 29 01:30:00 UTC 2025: ## NXT Champion Oba Femi Reflects on Record-Breaking Reign and Loss to Tony D’Angelo

**ORLANDO, FL –** NXT Champion Oba Femi recently spoke to The Rich Eisen Show about his record-breaking 273-day reign as North American Champion, culminating in a satisfying loss to Tony D’Angelo. Femi, known for his impressive dominance in NXT, revealed that while some fans initially resisted the idea of him losing to D’Angelo, the eventual outcome proved highly rewarding.

“We had the first match and people realized we were going into a second one, and possibly a third one, some people were like, ‘No, I don’t want to see Oba lose to Tony,'” Femi said. “But when we did everything right and the big giant finally comes falling down, there’s no more satisfying feeling for the fans. Even me, too. That’s the point of all the victories I get. I strongly believe that the point of all this dominance is eventually to lose to someone when it matters the most, and do something for them too.” (The Rich Eisen Show, h/t Wrestling Inc.)

Femi admitted that he initially underestimated the pressure of holding a championship. He explained that focusing on simply performing his best for the fans helped him navigate the challenges. “When you do what brought you to the dance in the first place, you dance and you soar and you break records and you do all these amazing things that you never thought you would do,” he added. (The Rich Eisen Show, h/t Wrestling Inc.) His humility and focus ultimately contributed to his historic reign and a highly impactful storyline with D’Angelo. The loss, he says, was a testament to both his own success and D’Angelo’s hard work.

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