# Rumor: WWE Reportedly Keeping Reigns Strong for Oba Femi Label: RUMOR Promotion: WWE By WrestlingNews.com Rumors Desk Published Nov. 8, 2026, 11:30 AM ET Reliability: Single source, not confirmed Heat 2/5, chatter URL: https://wrestlingnews.com/story/rumor-wwe-reportedly-keeping-reigns-strong-for-oba-femi/ > Unconfirmed: Dave Meltzer said on the Nov. 8 Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE does not seem to want Roman Reigns to lose before Oba Femi is ready to face him. WWE has announced no such match. This is a rumor and it is not confirmed. Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio on Sunday, Nov. 8, that WWE does not appear to want Roman Reigns to lose until Oba Femi comes along, according to Ringside News. It is Meltzer's read of WWE's booking. WWE has not announced Reigns against Femi. ## The quick version - Not confirmed by WWE, Reigns or Femi. - Reliability: Single source, not confirmed. Meltzer is the origin. We read Ringside News' transcript, not the radio show. - Meltzer also said Penta beating Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Championship is the logical next step. ## What was said Ringside News published a transcript of the Nov. 8 episode. In it, Meltzer says it only makes sense for Penta to beat Zayn. The transcript has Meltzer saying he does not see Penta beating Reigns, and that it does not seem WWE wants Reigns to lose "until Obafemi comes around." Ringside News says the transcript has a wording error and reads the point as above. Alvarez answered: "That was clear at Crown Jewel." Alvarez suggested a Penta title change could come on the last Raw of 2026 or the first of 2027, Ringside News says. ## What is already on record Reigns pinned Zayn at Crown Jewel on Saturday, Nov. 7, in Riyadh to win the Men's Crown Jewel Championship. He is also World Heavyweight Champion. Femi returned that night during the tag title match and put Bronson Reed through a table. See our [results story](https://wrestlingnews.com/story/crown-jewel-results-reigns-beats-zayn-stratton-cashes-in/) and our [tag title story](https://wrestlingnews.com/story/penta-and-jevon-evans-win-world-tag-titles-oba-femi-returns/). Raw is Monday, Nov. 9, in Greenville, S.C., and Reigns and Femi are among the names WWE lists for it, per WWE.com. Ringside News also links two earlier reports, which we have not read: a September Meltzer report that WWE was building to Reigns against Femi as the Sunday main event of WrestleMania 43, and an October WrestleVotes report that it remained a leading option. WWE has not named a WrestleMania 43 main event. Femi called out Reigns after Money in the Bank on Oct. 10, Ringside News says. ## A caution Yahoo Sports' Uncrowned column on Crown Jewel argues Reigns' purpose until April is to look strong before losing to Femi. That is the columnist's opinion, not a report. We do not count it as a second source. ## What would confirm or kill it A WWE announcement of Reigns against Femi, or Reigns losing before then, would settle it. WWE's own plans are not public. **How we know.** Reported by: Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, Nov. 8, 2026, as transcribed by Ringside News. Reliability: Single source, not confirmed. We did not hear the show. We did not contact WWE. ## Sources - Ringside News, "WWE Could Be Protecting Roman Reigns for Major Oba Femi Match at WrestleMania 43", Nov. 8, 2026 (Meltzer and Alvarez transcript, the earlier reports, the Oct. 10 call-out). https://www.ringsidenews.com/wwe-could-protecting-roman-reigns-major-oba-femi-match-wrestlemania-43/ - Yahoo Sports, "Crown Jewel 2026 takeaways: WWE has an Oba Femi problem, and Roman Reigns is caught in the middle" (Uncrowned), Nov. 2026 (columnist's opinion, not a report). https://sports.yahoo.com/wrestling/article/wwe-crown-jewel-2026-takeaways-roman-reigns-oba-femi-problem-sami-zayn-tiffany-stratton-chelsea-green-cody-rhodes-212918701.html - WWE.com, "Monday Night RAW", Nov. 9, 2026 event page (Raw in Greenville; Reigns and Femi among the featured Superstars). https://www.wwe.com/event/monday-night-raw-73 - Wrestling Observer Radio (Dave Meltzer, Bryan Alvarez), Nov. 8, 2026 episode. No link: we did not hear the show and read it only as transcribed by Ringside News. - WrestlingNews.com staff reporting: checked that no story on our site carries this claim, and compared Ringside News with the Yahoo column. We did not contact WWE. How we credit sources: [Editorial standards](https://wrestlingnews.com/editorial-standards/).