Why did WWE have Oba Femi give up his SummerSlam world title shot against Roman Reigns after winning KOTR 2026?

Oba Femi gave up his World title shot.

After defeating Jey Uso to win the 2026 King of the Ring tournament, Oba Femi kicked off the Night of Champions fallout show of Raw. Femi was about to make his decision for SummerSlam as the win granted him a title shot at SummerSlam against a Champion of his choosing.

However, before he could reveal his decision, Brock Lesnar returned to attack him. Following the attack, Femi proposed a showdown at SummerSlam, and Brock suggested it be in a Hell in a Cell match, to which Femi agreed, making the match official.

General Manager Adam Pearce tried to convince Femi to give up the rubber match against Brock and instead utilize the World title shot he earned. Oba responded that the championship can wait, insisting that settling the feud is his top priority.

This outcome confused fans who theorized that either Jey was supposed to win and WWE altered plans after online backlash, or they should have had someone else win if Femi was not supposed to utilize the title shot. On that note, a new report from the Wrestling Observer has provided more context.

WWE wants to wait before pulling the trigger on a showdown with Roman Reigns

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer provided insight into WWE’s decision to have Femi give up the world title opportunity he earned by winning the King of the Ring tournament and instead opt for a third showdown with Brock Lesnar.

Meltzer noted that Femi stepping away from the earned World title shot at SummerSlam was always part of WWE’s plan. He added that the goal is to keep building anticipation for a future match between Femi and Roman Reigns as a major attraction when it eventually takes place.

While WrestleMania is widely seen as the likely destination, Meltzer, however, noted that this has not been confirmed.

“The decision was always for Femi to win King of the Ring but turn down his title shot at Reigns for a match with Lesnar. The idea was to create Reigns vs. Femi as the biggest match possible. I can’t say with certainty that means save it for WrestleMania, but my thought going in was that why should he win a shot at Reigns for SummerSlam when it’s too soon and needs more of a chase, and I don’t think his losing the first time to Reigns is the right idea.

Of course it did work for Cody Rhodes in the long-run. But each person is different. What works for Rhodes would work for Will Ospreay but failed to work for Lex Luger and wouldn’t have worked for Bill Goldberg. Femi is closer to a Goldberg. But SummerSlam was too early.”

The 39th edition of SummerSlam will air as a two-night spectacle on Saturday, August 1, and Sunday, August 2, 2026, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Apart from the Hell in a Cell showdown between Femi, World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns is set to defend the title against Seth Rollins, while Liv Morgan defends the Women’s World title against 2026 Queen of the Ring tournament winner Iyo Sky.

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