WWE always want to set up the most exciting clashes and storylines between their stars to entice and exhilarate their loyal followers.

As it is widely publicised, wrestling is a form of mock combat for entertainment, with roots in both competitive sport and dramatic theatre. The matches have narratives, are scripted, partially choreographed, and the result is predetermined long before the wrestlers enter the ring, which WWE was forced to admit back in 1989.

As such, the promotion arranges a wrestler’s next matches based on the most enticing plot which will gain them the best traction, and this is set to take place again.

Oba Femi’s Future Planned Out

Oba Femi is the current King of the Ring after defeating Jey Urso at Night of Champions in Riyadh on the 27th of June.

The Ruler took victory in Saudi Arabia by escaping a sleeper hold from Uso before hitting two running uppercuts, throwing the American across the ring. Femi then executed the Fall from Grace, obtaining the pinfall victory to clinch the honour.

The 28-year-old is a former two-time NXT champion and former one-time NXT North American champion. He won the NXT Men’s Breakout tournament in 2023 and the 2024 Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge, but it is in 2026 that he has seen his stock skyrocket, defeating Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 42. Lesnar is an established name in wrestling and holds the record for the most reigns as Universal Champion with three.

After winning the King of the Ring tournament, Femi should have a shot at the world championship with a match at SummerSlam, but it appears that this year, things are going to be a little different, as the Nigerian will be facing off against Lesnar when wrestling gets underway in Minneapolis in August.

Rather than facing the world heavyweight champion Roman Reigns or the new WWE champion Sami Zayn, Femi has chosen to challenge the 48-year-old wrestling stalwart.

It comes after Lesnar praised Femi for his King of the Ring win during their Raw segment this past week, before revealing he is aware of the comments the Nigerian has been making about him. As a result, the Lagos-born wrestler labelled him a b**** before challenging him to a bout at SummerSlam, which Lesnar readily accepted, choosing a Hell in a Cell match.

While Femi isn’t sacrificing his guaranteed world title shot, wrestling fans have been confused as to why he was made to earn the opportunity of the prestigious SummerSlam title match and then elect to take on Lesnar instead, but there is a strong argument for this.

Why Oba Femi Isn’t Going For Title at SummerSlam

According to the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer believes that WWE are biding their time with Femi and gradually building to his crowning moment for a glorious spectacle at WrestleMania 43 rather than at SummerSlam.

Meltzer argued that the promotion wants to slowly develop his image into a ‘monster’ and went a step further, declaring that SummerSlam isn’t ‘strong enough’ for these kinds of match-ups anymore, labelling it ‘B-pay-per-view.’ In Meltzer’s opinion, the big wrestling stories have to take place at WrestleMania.

WrestleMania 43 isn’t due to take place until 2027, so it is a long time for Femi to wait for his title match. Regardless of his decision, though, he’ll first have to survive his third match-up with Lesnar, with the two tied at one apiece following their meetings at WrestleMania 42 and Clash in Italy.

Fans will have to wait with bated breath for the 1st and 2nd of August to see who takes the win in their rubber match, which could increase Femi’s stature even further.

Tottenham Hotspur may have agreed to sign Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali in deals worth £185m, but they’re not done strengthening their squad yet.

The north London club have been incredibly active in the transfer window so far, completing moves to bring in Andy Robertson, Marco Senesi, Martin Dubravka, and Jan Paul van Hecke, while they have agreed to pay £85m for West Ham’s Fernandes and £100m for Newcastle’s Tonali to strengthen their midfield.

But after also agreeing a £50m deal to allow Luka Vuskovic to depart this summer, Roberto De Zerbi is looking at other areas of the pitch that he wants to strengthen, as more exits are anticipated.

Tottenham Eyeing Man City Star Trafford

via Reuters

According to The Independent’s Miguel Delaney, Tottenham are showing a strong interest in Man City and England goalkeeper James Trafford this summer.

Trafford, who has been described as ‘world-class’, moved to Man City last summer from Burnley but quickly found himself as the number two after the club completed a deal for Gianluigi Donnarumma in the same window. That has left Trafford disappointed, and he is now keen to leave to establish himself as a number one elsewhere.

Tottenham are expecting Guglielmo Vicario to leave permanently during the window, while Antonin Kinsky has signed a new long-term contract with the promise of competing for a place as the number one goalkeeper.

But Spurs are now eyeing a move for the 23-year-old to bring some ‘authority’ to the position, with Dubravka well aware that he has been signed as a back-up option from Burnley.

Trafford and Kinsky would compete for the number one role, with Spurs ready to bring in a new goalkeeper if the right option become available.

Trafford Could Be Long-Term No.1

via Reuters

Kinsky’s future at the club looked to be dead and buried when Igor Tudor hooked him in the opening minutes of the defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, but he battled back to claim his place in the side for the end-of-season run-in and made some huge saves to keep them in the Premier League.

Now he looks set to be the number one, but it’s no surprise that there are some doubts over whether he is good enough, and Trafford would provide a more than reasonable and safe alternative in his position.

If the fee is reasonable, then bringing in a 6ft 5 goalkeeper who is very good with the ball at his feet too won’t be looked at as a bad thing, and would give the manager real options to choose from.

Former United States international Alexi Lalas has posted a tweet, which has since gone viral, involving Argentina’s Lionel Messi after Folarin Balogun was sent off in the USMNT’s 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday.

Balogun was controversially shown a straight red card, following a VAR review, for a foul on defender Tarik Muharemovic.

A VAR expert has since cast a strong verdict over the decision, explaining why this was “not a red card offence”. It’s also alleged that a VAR protocol was broken with the review that led to Balogun’s dismissal.

USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino described the incident as a “normal action in football that happened by accident”. The Argentine added: “It’s never intentional. That is why for me it’s never a red card.”

Pochettino will now be without Balogun, USA’s top scorer at this summer’s World Cup with three goals, for the last 16 clash against Belgium. There’s also a risk that FIFA will choose to extend the forward’s punishment if the USMNT progress further in the tournament.

Alexi Lalas Highlights Messi Incident After Balogun Red Card

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Outspoken FOX Sports pundit Alexi Lalas, who represented his country on 96 occasions between 1991-1998, posted a tweet with a clip of a similar incident involving Messi during Argentina’s opening World Cup match against Algeria, alongside the caption: “‘Sup”.

Messi escaped punishment for a foul on Algeria defender Aissa Mandi, although some fans and pundits alike were convinced a red card should have been issued to the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, who currently leads the race for the World Cup Golden Boot award with France’s Kylian Mbappe on six goals.

On Balogun’s red card, Lalas said on FOX Sports: “That is not a red card. I understand that in the moment it looks bad, and when you see it on video it looks bad. But you have to have a feel and understanding of what’s going on. I thought it was a crap call.” He added:

Taylor Twellman, another former US international, followed suit, asking FIFA why Messi’s foul wasn’t reviewed by VAR.

The reason why Balogun was sent off but Messi was not is because the USMNT star’s challenge was deemed a “serious foul”. Messi’s challenge on Mandi was not perceived in the same way, despite the similarities of the two incidents.