Oba Femi Comes Face-to-Face With Cody Rhodes on Taped SmackDown, Teasing Future Title Rivalry

WWE appears to be laying the groundwork for a significant championship feud on the blue brand. During the taped June 26 episode of SmackDown, Oba Femi made an appearance that put him directly across from Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes — a moment that immediately registered as something more than a throwaway segment.

The interaction caught the attention of fans who saw the spoilers, and for good reason. Femi has been one of WWE’s most physically imposing and rapidly rising talents, and placing him in a face-to-face moment with the company’s top champion signals that creative has bigger plans in store for him. Whether this encounter leads directly into a championship program or simply plants a seed for later down the road remains to be seen, but the optics were unmistakable.

For Cody Rhodes, who has been the face of WWE’s main event scene since capturing the Undisputed WWE Championship, a program with someone of Femi’s size and presence would represent a distinctly different kind of challenge. The timing is notable as well, with Night of Champions on the horizon and the company building toward its next major premium live event.

Femi has steadily built his reputation as a wrecking force, and if WWE is genuinely pivoting him toward the top of the SmackDown card, this taped episode may well be remembered as the moment the seeds were officially planted. SmackDown airs Friday night on USA Network.