Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed in the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio how they were highly critical of this past Monday night’s WWE RAW segment featuring Paul Heyman, Brock Lesnar, and Oba Femi. In the segment, Heyman talked about Femi throwing away his title shot, while Femi claimed he opted not to wrestle for the title because he believed Lesnar would interfere in the match anyway.
Meltzer and Alvarez argued that this was a weak justification for Femi relinquishing his title shot in favor of a rematch against Lesnar at WWE SummerSlam 2026. They also questioned why WWE allowed Femi to compete in the King of the Ring tournament in the first place, and why he won.
Meltzer suggested that the obvious reason was WWE’s desire to establish Femi as King of the Ring and give him a significant push following his loss to Lesnar. He noted that the company felt Femi needed a substantial storyline, but they intended to postpone the championship match until WrestleMania. Meltzer explained that WWE wanted to emphasize that Femi is a top contender in the championship picture, making the eventual title match feel special.
However, Meltzer pointed out that, looking at the situation logically, it raises the question of why Femi even entered the tournament. Alvarez acknowledged that while Femi is “super over” and “the biggest star on the show,” the current storyline “sucks.” Meltzer added that Femi’s explanation seemed to be WWE’s response to fan confusion regarding his decision to forgo his title shot for another match with Lesnar. He concluded that while WWE does not typically respond to criticism, it often reacts in a way that seems absurd.
