Shock Title Change On WWE NXT

A shock title change took place to close out the January 9 edition of WWE NXT.

Dragon Lee defended the NXT North American Championship against Lexis King in the scheduled main event of NXT but Oba Femi made his way to the ring following the match, cashing in his shot for a title match at any time. One minute later and Oba Femi was the new NXT North American Champion, picking up the win following his Last Ride powerbomb finisher. 

Femi's win ended Dragon Lee's NXT North American Title reign after 31 days. The luchador won the belt from Dominik Mysterio at NXT Deadline on December 9, 2023. 

Femi earned a title shot at any time by winning the men's NXT Breakout Tournament. He defeated Riley Osborne in the tournament final last week, having previously beaten Myles Borne and Tavion Heights to reach the final.  

Past men's NXT Breakout Tournament winner Carmelo Hayes defeated Isaiah "Swerve" Scott (Swerve Strickland) to win the NXT North American Championship in 2021. 

Femi was previously a track and field athlete at the University of Alabama. He signed with WWE in August 2022 after spending time as part of the company's NIL programme.