Title: NOT-SO-GENTLE GIANT: Inside Omos’s incredible journey from standout basketball prospect to WWE star
Date: August 9, 2023
Original Source: Sportsnet
Synopsis: In my latest for Sportsnet, I wrote about the journey of WWE star Omos (Jordan Omogbehin), from Masai Ujiri’s Giants of Africa basketball program through myriad health issues and to the main stage of WWE.
WE superstar Omos doesn’t look like your typical babyface.
With a seven-foot-three, 400-plus-pound frame and a stern resting face, Omos (Jordan Omogbehin), brow furrowed, cuts the figure of a typical WWE villain. He was recruited as an obvious “big bad,” a Goliath destined to serve as foil to any number of underdog good guys. He is a spiritual descendant of Andre the Giant, The Great Khali, Big Show, and Kane, men so physically imposing their mere presence creates peril for opponents and automatic table stakes for fans.
Billed as “The Nigerian Giant,” his WWE career to date has placed him in exactly that role. From bodyguard for Shane McMahon’s short-lived Raw Underground to tag-team partner and heavy for A.J. Styles, Omos’s introduction to the WWE universe has been exactly what you’d expect. And it’s been successful, with marquee matches and a run as a tag-team champion.
As he’s struck out on his own as a singles wrestler, though, a strange thing has happened. The online wrestling community has put a spotlight on a more lovable side of Jordan Omogbehin, celebrating his artwork and his sense of humour, sharing his “Giant Problems” social media posts, and inundating him and his new wife with well-wishes on their wedding day. These “Omosapiens,” as they call themselves, have seen in Omogbehin one of their own, one who just happens to be enormous enough to wreak havoc in a WWE ring.
Continue reading at Sportsnet.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 