Raj Dhesi believes WWE could take Oba Femi to another level by turning him heel and pairing him with Paul Heyman, drawing comparisons to the way Brock Lesnar exploded onto the scene more than two decades ago.

Dhesi, who competed in WWE as Jinder Mahal and became WWE Champion in 2017, shared his booking idea on Instagram. Rather than continuing to position Femi as a traditional babyface, Dhesi thinks WWE should allow him to dominate as a villain until fans naturally decide they want to support him.

“Turn Oba Femi heel. Just like Brock Lesnar when he was when he debuted, have him destroy everybody and let the crowd naturally turn him babyface.”

“Put him with Paul Heyman.”

The Lesnar comparison is particularly notable following what unfolded at SummerSlam earlier this month.

Femi defeated Lesnar inside Hell in a Cell during the main event of SummerSlam Night One on August 1. Following the match, Lesnar returned to the ring and raised Femi's hand, declaring that Femi represented the future while he was now part of the past.

Lesnar confirmed his retirement several days later, with WWE subsequently moving him to the alumni section of its website.

Dhesi's suggestion would essentially see Femi adopt a similar presentation to the man he has now retired.

When Lesnar made his WWE main roster debut in March 2002, Heyman immediately became his mouthpiece. WWE made little effort to portray Lesnar as someone audiences were supposed to embrace. Instead, he was presented as an unstoppable force who tore through anyone placed in his path.

Within months, Lesnar had won the King of the Ring tournament and captured the WWE Championship. His popularity grew organically as audiences became increasingly impressed by his dominance.

Pairing Femi with Heyman would also not be completely out of left field.

Heyman was already involved in the build towards Femi's SummerSlam showdown with Lesnar, becoming part of the storyline during the July 6 episode of Raw.

Dhesi also has some first-hand experience watching Femi's development. The pair crossed paths at the WWE Performance Center, and Dhesi admitted during a June appearance on Busted Open that his initial assessment of Femi was very different.

According to Dhesi, he did not originally believe Femi had an especially bright future when he first watched him training in NXT. His opinion has since completely changed, with the former WWE Champion saying he has been blown away by Femi's progression.

Femi signed with WWE in 2022 and quickly became one of NXT's most heavily protected rising stars. During his developmental run, he captured both the NXT Championship and NXT North American Championship before making the move to WWE's main roster earlier this year.

His rivalry with Lesnar began in spectacular fashion at WrestleMania 42 on April 19, where Femi scored a victory over the former WWE Champion.

After the match, Lesnar left his gloves and boots inside the ring, leading many to believe his career had come to an end. That retirement did not last, however, as Lesnar returned on the May 18 edition of Raw and attacked Femi from behind.

A rematch followed at Clash in Italy on May 31, where Lesnar handed Femi his first singles defeat since joining the main roster.

Femi quickly rebuilt his momentum.

He survived a Fatal Four-Way in the opening round of the King of the Ring tournament before defeating Dominik Mysterio in the semifinals. At Night of Champions, Femi defeated Jey Uso in the tournament final, earning himself a guaranteed World Championship opportunity at SummerSlam.

Rather than pursuing the title, Femi surrendered that opportunity on the June 29 Raw and instead demanded another match with Lesnar.

Lesnar agreed, but only if their showdown took place inside Hell in a Cell in his home state of Minnesota.

Femi ultimately prevailed in 11 minutes and 39 seconds, surviving a tombstone onto the exposed wooden boards beneath the ring before delivering Fall From Grace to secure the victory.

WWE currently presents Femi as a babyface, although Dhesi is not the only wrestling veteran discussing how the company should handle the powerhouse moving forward.

Sean Waltman recently described Femi as a “monster,” while Eric Bischoff praised his potential but suggested someone of Femi's size should avoid attempting to wrestle like a gymnast.

Dhesi, meanwhile, has not been shy about suggesting heel turns for WWE's biggest names.

During an appearance on WWE Radio's Off The Ropes this month, Dhesi also argued that Cody Rhodes should eventually embrace a villainous role. He claimed the character could suit Rhodes and described top-level performers as needing a certain degree of selfishness to reach that position.

Dhesi's own WWE Championship reign began when he defeated Randy Orton at Backlash in May 2017 and continued until November of that year.

Following his WWE release in April, Dhesi returned to competing under his real name on the independent wrestling scene and has continued to make regular appearances across wrestling media.