6 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE Raw (4 May - Results & Review)
2. Oba Tosses Otis
The first week of the Oba Femi open challenge came with a bit of intrigue: Would WWE go the route of having him defeat undersized jobbers before moving up to the beefier boys on the roster, or would he make a statement right out of the gate?
Fans got their answer when Alpha Academy made their way to the ring, with Akira Tozawa leading the way, apparently ready to psych himself up and try his luck. One look at Femi, however, and Tozawa was cowering.
Enter Otis for the meaty men challenge. The pair traded shoulder tackles that barely moved the other until both ran the ropes and Oba leapt with a flying back elbow. Femi wasted little time in tossing Otis like a half-empty suitcase.
He then sized up Otis and tapped his head, realizing the solution to his dilemma: Femi placed Otis on the turnbuckle so he could lift him into a powerbomb position to hit the Fall From Grace for the win.
This was once again letter perfect, with Oba showing that he’s a smart 'Ruler' and using his brain rather than defaulting to brute strength. There was no need to try to pop Otis up for the finisher with the corner right there and Dozer stunned, and Femi used his wits to execute a still-breathtaking finish.