Je’Von Evans is not ready to close the book on Oba Femi.
Both men made major impressions during their time in WWE NXT, where their paths crossed on multiple occasions, including at NXT Heatwave and in a later NXT Championship encounter on television. Their rivalry placed two of NXT’s most prominent young athletes against one another, with Femi positioned as an imposing force and Evans bringing the speed, confidence and unpredictability that have become central to his presentation.
Although their careers have moved beyond that period of NXT competition, Evans made clear that he still sees a one-on-one match with Femi as unfinished business. In a recent interview, Evans said he has not yet had the chance to truly settle the issue with “The Ruler,” arguing that key circumstances prevented his prior pinfall advantages from becoming decisive victories.
“That is true. I feel like that is a match that I do need because I just haven’t beat him one-on-one and I haven’t got the opportunity to run it back. Let’s be real. A lot of people don’t know this, but there’s only two people that have pinned Oba longer than three seconds. Brock Lesnar and Je’Von Evans. It’s crazy to think about because every time I pinned him, either the ref got involved like at Heatwave or somebody got involved like Ricky Saints. Everybody knows, man, that I got his phone number. So eventually we can run it back and see what happens.”
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Evans believes the record between them remains incomplete
Evans did not claim that he has defeated Femi in a definitive one-on-one setting. In fact, that is the heart of why he wants the rematch. He acknowledged that he has not beaten Femi one-on-one, but maintained that his past performances gave him enough evidence to believe he can do it if the two meet again without outside complications or officiating disruptions.
That distinction matters. Wrestling rivalries are often built not just on who won a match, but on what happened in the seconds before and after a deciding fall. A wrestler can lose an official result while still leaving with a powerful argument that the outcome did not fully reflect the competitive balance of the match. Evans is framing his history with Femi through precisely that lens.
His comments center on what he described as visual pinfalls: moments in which he had Femi down for more than three seconds, but did not receive a recognized victory because the referee was not able to make the count or another person became involved. Evans specifically referenced their Heatwave meeting as one occasion where the referee got involved, and he also pointed to Ricky Saints’ involvement in another instance.
For Evans, those moments are not merely excuses for a result that did not go his way. They are the foundation of his belief that Femi is beatable by him. He sees them as proof that he has already solved part of the puzzle against an opponent who has been presented as exceptionally difficult to keep down.
A striking comparison involving Brock Lesnar
The most eye-catching part of Evans’ statement was his assertion that only two people have held Femi down longer than three seconds: Brock Lesnar and Evans himself. It is a bold comparison, and Evans used it to reinforce the idea that his success against Femi has been more significant than some viewers may realize.
Lesnar’s name carries enormous weight in WWE due to his history of championship success and his longstanding reputation as one of the most physically dominant competitors ever associated with the company. By placing himself alongside Lesnar in the context of pinning Femi for more than three seconds, Evans was not presenting himself as a finished product or claiming an official head-to-head win. Rather, he was emphasizing the rarity of the openings he says he has created against Femi.
It also reflects Evans’ confidence. He has consistently carried himself like a wrestler who expects to stand across the ring from major opponents, regardless of size, experience or reputation. Femi presents a particularly compelling challenge because their contrast is so clear. Evans’ game is rooted in movement, timing and daring offense, while Femi has been associated with overwhelming power and a commanding presence. The question of whether Evans can sustain enough momentum to earn a clean, official victory is exactly what makes another match appealing.
Heatwave remains part of the story
NXT Heatwave is one of the central reference points in Evans’ account of the rivalry. He recalled having Femi pinned there before the situation involving the referee prevented that moment from becoming an official conclusion. Even without revisiting every detail of the event, Evans’ recollection shows how strongly that sequence has remained with him.
In a division where championship opportunities and defining wins can shape a wrestler’s standing quickly, near-falls and disputed pinfall situations can linger. They become reminders of how close a wrestler came to changing the direction of a match, a title picture or a rivalry. Evans’ desire to revisit Femi is therefore tied to more than simply wanting a high-profile opponent. He wants to remove the ambiguity that he feels has followed their encounters.
His mention of Ricky Saints further underlines that point. Evans believes outside involvement also altered the outcome of one of his key opportunities against Femi. Whether fans agree with every part of his interpretation or not, Evans has presented a consistent case: he has had Femi beaten in moments that did not translate to the official record.
Why a rematch would carry importance
A future Evans-Femi match would come with a history that neither competitor would need to manufacture. Evans has openly stated his case for another chance, while Femi’s reputation makes him the kind of opponent whose victories and defeats have major consequences for anyone involved.
For Evans, a clean win would answer the question he raised himself. It would give him the one-on-one result he says he has been unable to secure, while validating his belief that the previous visual pinfalls were meaningful indicators rather than isolated near-misses. A loss, on the other hand, would give Femi a clearer claim to having put the rivalry behind him without the cloud of the disputed moments Evans continues to highlight.
The matchup also has value because it is not based solely on nostalgia for their NXT days. Evans did not speak about the feud as something that belongs entirely in the past. His words suggested that the rivalry can be resumed whenever circumstances allow, and that he is confident the competitive chemistry between them remains intact.
“Everybody knows, man, that I got his phone number,” Evans said, using a familiar wrestling expression to say he believes he understands how to beat Femi. It was a concise statement, but it captured the full tone of his remarks. Evans respects the scale of the challenge, yet he is not intimidated by it. He believes he has already found openings against Femi and wants the chance to prove those openings can lead to an official decision.
Evans continues to embrace his growing profile
Elsewhere in the same conversation, Evans discussed the experience of having children look up to him. That subject adds another layer to the way he approaches high-stakes rivalries. As his profile grows, his performances are not only about personal ambition; they also shape how younger fans see him.
A renewed match with Femi would provide Evans with another opportunity to show the resilience he has emphasized throughout his comments. His argument is not that the past should be erased. It is that the past deserves a proper conclusion. He has accepted that he does not own a one-on-one win over Femi, while also insisting that the matches included moments that cannot be dismissed.
For now, there is no announced rematch between Je’Von Evans and Oba Femi. But Evans has made his intentions unmistakable. He wants another chance at Femi, he believes previous circumstances denied him a clean conclusion, and he remains convinced that he has what it takes to finally turn a visual pinfall into a victory that counts.
Until that opportunity arrives, the rivalry remains a notable unresolved chapter from both men’s NXT histories. Evans has already stated where he stands: he has not officially beaten Oba Femi one-on-one, but he believes he has shown enough to earn the right to try again.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.