Omos Exclusive: I’ve Signed New WWE Contract!
WWE superstar Omos has exclusively revealed to GamblingIndustryNews.com that he has signed a contract extension and will be wrestling with the company for many more years to come!
He also reveals why he is a risk taker in life and nominates Damian Priest as the star to lose all of his poker chips in the first five minutes of a game…
Question: If you had to bet on one WWE superstar to have the best poker face, who would it be? And who would lose their chips in the first five minutes?
Omos: I would say Reggie, he’s not in WWE anymore but Reggie’s a hell of a gambler. People don’t realise, he’s almost a professional. He takes it very seriously! He’s just one of those guys who’s actually quite intriguing to see up close in life. And then if I had to pick someone who would lose their money in the first five minutes, I would say Damian Priest.
Q: Wrestling involves a lot of risk. Would you say you’re a risk-taker in life? Or do you play it safe when the stakes are high?
A: I’m more of a risk taker. I’m a very creative, artistic person at heart, so I’ve always learned to take risks. I left my country of Nigeria at 15 years old to come and make a better life for myself. So taking a huge risk and not knowing how that would end has always been part of my journey. My wife always says to take more calculated risks though! She likes me to take risks, but she says to make them more calculated and just not jumping off a cliff!
Exclusive On WWE Contract & Recent Japan Stint
Q: How are things Omos, can you tell us anything about what’s next?
A: Things are going very well. Can’t complain. I’m really excited about what is to come. I’ve been training really hard and working on some new things and I think it’s going to be a really fun ride ahead, especially because I just signed a renewal with WWE and will be there for years to come!
Q: You had a successful stint in Japan at the start of the year? How did you find it over there?
A: Yes, that was phenomenal, man. I was going through a little bit of a pause, just waiting around. I needed to go to Japan and I ended up finding myself as a performer and I needed to go to Japan for my personal and mental health. It was really good to go there and just kind of have this fresh restart again.
Q: What did you learn about yourself and Japanese wrestling in general when you were over there?
A: Oh man. It’s a completely different style, different style of training. The way they train, they have a young boy culture, it’s completely different. They’re perfectionists about everything. Like from the smallest guy on the roster, ranked to the highest. They are perfectionists and everything that they do was actually quite amazing to see. Even everything was done just to perfection, from taking bumps to cutting promos. I really had a blast learning that part of the culture and working with the guys and those guys in Japan, they’re awesome. Everybody can go, they can go! I was very impressed and for me there was a sense of freedom being there. I was able to be myself and just enjoy wrestling.
On Storylines & Disagreeing With Booker T
Q: Booker T recently said that it’s tough to book storylines for someone of your height. Would you agree or disagree with that?
A: To an extent. I see his point of view and I’ve seen myself in Booker T so I understand where he’s coming from. For someone like me, I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily hard. For someone like me, I would say it can bring challenges. Because one: You want someone like Omos to be kept as special as possible, because I am an attraction. And two: You don’t want me being beaten on TV every other week and losing because then that kills the lore of what I’m supposed to represent whether that be a he or a baby face. So he has a point there. But still I do think that there are creative ways in which you can see a giant like Omos on TV and book him correctly.
Q: How much input do you have on your storylines, promos and the booking of your own matches?
A: Promos? I’ve been able to show how powerful I can be as a wrestler, but I’ve never had the chance to show the world my promo skills. And I think during my last run, I was kind of boxed into this idea of what they wanted to present me so they told me exactly what they wanted me to do. Doing matches, when I first started I just listened to the veterans and those behind the scenes because I was a young guy starting out in the business. But the more experience I got, the more input I would add. When I was with MVP and were together, I would boss up ideas over to him and ask him what he thought about certain things and he would help me out. And whenever I would get caught in a bind, when figuring out a match, he would tell me what would work well. So that’s how most of my promos and matches have gone.
But when I was in Japan, I had a chance to do things my way. That’s my first time being on my own since MVP’s contract wasn’t renewed. So in Japan, I got to really sit down and put all my matches together and to figure out the creative ways when we were stuck in tight spots based off what book I wanted and we had to find a way out so that was my first time doing my own stuff.
Q: You’re one of the most unique stars in WWE history due to your physical presence. How do you approach building your in-ring persona around your size and stature? Was there a certain way you had to think to make things happen?
A: I think once I understood who Omos was, I was able to take acting classes which helped a lot when shaping Omos as a character. I needed to work out what he did, what his mission was. So doing that on my own helped me with whatever WWE gave me, I was able to build on top of that.
On Omos’ Career & More
Q: Who have you enjoyed working with the most and who brought the best out of Omos?
A: I mean, everyone! Everyone that I’ve worked with from the New Day one to Randy Orton to AJ Styles, although our run was pretty short and we never really got a title run which I would have loved to do. Bobby Lashley was tremendous and he knew truly who Omos was and he really helped me pull that character off. It’s the same with Braun Strowman and then going to work with Brock Lesnar. Everything really came together with Brock when completing our set. So everybody I’ve worked with has played an integral part and helped me along the way in finding who I was as a performer.
Q: Your run might have been short, but you won the tag titles with AJ. How much did you learn from a legend like him?
A: I learned a ton from AJ Styles. I have so much love for that guy. No pun intended actually but he really is phenomenal. I had a blast working with AJ Styles. He has such a creative mind for the business and he’s someone at his age who is always still learning. So it was quite admirable to see someone of his level and stature to still be a student of the game. I was like, ‘wow, this is AJ Styles and he’s still learning.’ So that made a huge impression on me.
Q: Have you spoken to The Undertaker recently?
A: We talk all the time, just telling me to just stay patient and keep on working and stay right. That’s it. As they say where I’m from, the patient dog eats the fattest bone.
Q: If you could face anyone in the WWE, past or present, who would it be and why?
A: Oh, Undertaker! Undertaker and Rey Mysterio. Rey would be receiving a ton of punishment from both of us big guys. So yes, that would be the two I would pick.
Q: What would you expect from a match between you and The Undertaker?
A: Oh man. You know, the special thing about Undertaker is, in his prime, he kind of morphed into this guy from back in the day, Barry Windham. He kind of took some of his style and merged it with his new style. This was when he would jump off the ring, and he was a lot more athletic then, doing things you wouldn’t see big guys doing. Now, he can truly be as athletic as he wants to be, but he doesn’t look like he’s doing because he’s facing me now. He can pull out all the stops now against me. He can jump over the top. He can do all this crazy stuff and not look as if he’s doing too much. Because it’s against me, it’ll look normal.
So I just think, oh man. It would’ve been such a treat just to see him just explore all the tools in this toolkit going against someone like me. Because it’s rare, especially for me, to find a guy who can also move. So I’m not just gonna stand like a big guy. Like I can move. That puts its own twist on it, that would’ve been fricking amazing!
Q: What are some misconceptions that fans might have about the work it takes to be a giant in pro wrestling and WWE in general?
A: I think fans forget that a lot of folks are being given instructions. And this is also a job and like any job you have to follow the same instructions to perform on what the company calls you. You know? And you might say, oh, this is boring. Nobody can undo it. Sometimes it’s just based on the parameters that that person or talent was given.I think that’s a huge misconception that fans have. I get certain instructions of what the company wants from themselves. In a type of way that you don’t enjoy. Most of the time. It’s not really the talent’s fault.
On General WWE
Q: What did you make of Ron Killings R-Truth storyline?
A: Oh man! Ron Killings…that guy. It was such a treat to see him on Monday Night Raw, that’s probably one of the best promos I’ve seen in my entire life. It was just so raw. I once asked him on his podcast, when was one time you felt like you had the audience in the palm of your hand?
Then his co-host was just like, no, you had them in the palm of your hand when you made your debut because they had never anything like that. So I think this was R–Truth’s moment where, when you’ve been stuck in a career such as his for a very long time, people don’t see you beyond those parameters. Yes he can do comedy and he’s got natural comedic timing, but now you get to see the other side of him that can be serious. And for someone who’s 52, you know, the man is a vampire. He doesn’t age.
To see him have a resurgence and the backing of the people is just a treat to watch. I remember I was watching the Monday night Promo he was cutting and I had goosebumps all over, it was such a great moment that had a meaning. I don’t even think the audience was able to grasp the moment. But me and him, you know, me being a black man, I was able to see beyond just the promo, sorry I’m getting emotional about it. I was able to see beyond the promo, understand what he was trying to get across. So dude I’m so beyond elated for him.
Q: Did his friends know that he was gonna be going back into the WWE so shortly.
Nobody had a clue. I was like you and my mouth was like this..
Q: How important is it for you to have fans on your side like that, even when you’re not on TV all the time and people are still talking about you?
A: It’s very refreshing, man. Over the last six months now, their voices, people are getting louder and louder and louder. So it’s great to see people who have enjoyed your work and more people who wanna see you and they want you on their TV screen.It helps us when we know that the fans want us, whether they wanna see us or not. Just that we’ve made such an impact on the fans that they want us back in the swings.
Q: Would John Cena make it into your WWE Pro Wrestling, Mount Rushmore? Who would you say are the four strongest athletes in wrestling?
A: I’ve never been in a ring with John, so I don’t know. I can only speak of people who have been in the ring with. I don’t really know, just based on what I’ve heard, I would say number one is definitely Mark Henry. I would say number two is Cesearo. I would say Brock and Bobby. Because of their size. They’re not very tall guys. But the strength that those two guys possess is phenomenal because I’m a pretty big guy, but for Brock and Bobby, they’re 6”2 tops. That’s me being generous. But they’re just such powerful dudes that did amateur wrestling. They’re so strong in everything. It’s quite amazing.
Q: Who would win a powerlifting contest between you, Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley.
A: You know, I have to say me. I love them, but I got to say me.
On The Greatest Giants In Wrestling
Q: Who would you say is the greatest giant wrestler of all time? From Andre The Giant himself to The Great Khalil and Big Show?
A: I have to give it to Andre. Everybody knows about Andre, but the other cat that doesn’t get enough credit for what he did was a big cat called Ernie Ladd. I don’t know if you know who that is from back in the seventies, he doesn’t get it just because he was a giant. I think he played football or basketball and transitioned into wrestling. He had a lot of bouts with Andre and Big John Studd, those guys. John Studd and Ernie Ladd don’t get enough credit. So those guys, those three guys really transformed the business of what giants look like.
Q: Have you thought about being a mentor for ‘taller’ wrestlers who are coming through the ranks?
A: I spoke to someone the other day and they said ‘you’re a veteran now’ and I was like snap dawg but it’s true because of how long I’ve been in the business. I think it will have been seven years that I’ve been in the WWE this year. My experience in the business is different from a lot of people. I always make the joke that I went to the Harvard School of Wrestling because of the situation I was placed in very early on in my career. So if anybody wants to ask me for advice, I don’t know about mentorship because I’m still learning as well. Anybody wants advice from me and they know that they can call me. People helped me out so it’d be foolish of me not to do the same. So anybody who wants to help, one supervisor wants to talk about, always been there, make myself available.
More On Omos’ Career
Q: How much has changed since you first started in pro wrestling to now, post pandemic and all things considered now in 2025?
A: I would say it’s much the same. Wrestling is wrestling. It goes through its ebbs and flows. I wouldn’t say much has really changed about wrestling. The thing I’d say is we are not really doing as many events as we used to. It’s a continuous machine, it’s always going and it never stops. So that is the one thing that has never changed. There’s always going to be Monday night Raw and Friday night smack down. It just doesn’t stop.
Q: What was your favorite show that you’ve ever worked on?
A: WrestleMania 39. I wrestled at WrestleMania 39 in LA. I think the year before that I did AT&T Stadium, but that was the first time I had started a show and a lot happened during that day. My gear didn’t get down to me in time. I didn’t have my gear for the show. I had to makeshift the whole gear, like the span of two hours for me to get ready for the show. I didn’t even get to put on my gear until I was about to walk out to the ring when I was about to wrestle Brock. When you and Brock opened the show, didn’t you? Yeah. I got my ring gear 10 minutes before we went out. So I ordered my gear, and my gear got stuck because there was a tornado in the Midwest where it was coming from. So it was just stuck there, so it wasn’t going to get down until Monday. So my wife, thank God, she was there because she had to find a way to get it down. She got it all down. So she needed to save my butt. I thought I was gonna be wrestling in a t-shirt and trainers. So that day sticks out something because that happened and then me and Brock just went out and we had a blast. It was so much fun.
Q: What was the proudest moment of your career so far?
A: I would say Wrestlemania 39 because for youth as a talent being given the opening of a show is massive. The opening of the show is like the hook of the show. That is the beginning of the show and that is extremely important. They have the intermission, the middle of the show because let’s say we have WrestleMania is about a four hour show, right? After an hour and a half people might be getting restless, two hours in the fans are getting restless. You need something and then you have the main event. So for me in my own career to be being trusted, being trusted with being the hook, the beginning of the show to hook the fans and make the fans excited for the rest of the show. Man, it was extremely gratifying, you know, and I’m glad, you know, Brock and I were able to deliver in such a manner. I might be biased but I think it was one of the best matches on the card that night. And being first on the card also means that the company trusts you to be in that position.
Fans don’t understand that it’s such an integral part of the show, that beginning match. I cannot understate how important that beginning is because if you have a slow match to the show it kills the momentum of the rest of the show. But if you come out with an opening banger of a match as, as the first match, the fans that credit for every match after that. And it even makes me more excited, like if these guys started a show and it was that entertaining, they’ll be like oh my goodness. What is the main event going to look like? So I would love to top that!
General WWE & Undertaker Influence
Q: Did you prefer working like the start of Triple H or did you learn more from working with Vince in creation?
A: To be honest, I haven’t really worked with Triple H that much because during my time I was primarily working with Vince. So I really don’t have an answer for you because I haven’t really spent a long time with Hunter. But from what I’ve heard from my colleagues, they have a blast of a time working with Hunter, so I’m looking forward to it.
Q: Have you got any stories from Vince or anything that maybe fans won’t know about, any stories or anything he told you whilst he was behind the scenes or any advice or anything?
A: I’m thinking now, you could always tell when Vince was happy. He was very expressive with the people that he loved, when they started doing a job. And anybody who works there knows when he was there, he did a phenomenal job on the show. He worked so hard, he was always ready to give you a big hug. He had a big smile on his face. It was like he was a big kid. Whenever he saw talent in the clinic to his taste, he’d walk back through the curtains with a giant smile, ready to give you a big hug. So yes, I would say that was it.
Q: A couple more towards the end of the interview now. If you could change or switch lives with any WWE superstar current, for one day, who would it be and why?
A: This is going to sound cliche but I’m going to say the Undertaker and the reason I say undertaker is because this man never broke kayfabe for 30 years in the business until recently, right. So I want to see what his day to day was like. What’s it like going to the grocery store,
going to birthday parties, going to weddings, taking your kids to school. Like how did all that work out while still trying to keep kayfabe. On the road, did you hide? I just want to know, even if I was a fly on the wall, I would love to see all that, because it’s quite intriguing to see how someone is able to do that. And now he goes by his real name, Mark Calaway, right? Someone who was able to stay in that mode throughout his whole career and never broke it once, he barely did interviews, right? Never broke character one time. That is extremely impressive because now that I look back on it, I think about it. I said to myself. He could have made a ton of money in the horror movies. Oh my goodness, undertaker in horror movies. That’s like an easy go. But he never did, he never did. The option was there for him to be a big time horror movie star. He never took the shot because he was so intentional about making sure he kept it prestige about that character. That is impressive.
Q: I think somebody else who’s impressive with keeping in character. Dominic Mysterio, he seems to be a heel at the minute wherever he goes?
A: Oh, he’s a blast. He’s a blast. He’s a heel. He’s someone that, you know, especially now that he’s, he has the long mustache and, you know, he has the mullet. I just want to punch him in the face. He does, he does a great job of making sure he’s in character. So, you know i’ve got to applaud him. Whilst I’m not diminishing what Dom does, Taker is just on another level man you know, you never saw him smile. You never saw him in different coloured clothes. He was always in black, that is an extreme amount of commitment to an idea. I don’t think we’ll ever see it in our lifetime. Especially the way advanced technology is, everybody has their cell phones and they record you all the time. I don’t think he’ll be able to do that now. Or maybe he might, who knows? But it was quite impressive to see and that is somebody I would love to switch bodies with for a day.
On Omos’ Perfume Collection
Q: I saw on your social media that you are interested in scents and aftershave, perfumes, all that kind of thing?
A: Oh yeah. That’s a terrible habit. But I am, but I have too many. That’s the problem. I have about three hundred fifty, three hundred and fifty.
Q: Are there any ones that have been lucky for you? Lucky superstition cologne. Before the match?
A: You know what? No, honestly, because I smell good, it’s not, it’s not like, you know, me being superstitious, like smelling good. Honestly, when I smell like there’s this, you know, a little boost of confidence. Other than that, I don’t think I have anything like, oh, I haven’t done this today I’m gonna have a bad day. So it’s nothing like that for me.
Q: Have you, are you in the process of creating your own or gonna sell your own Eventually?
A: Eventually in the future, hopefully. And what would the brand be called?I don’t know. OMOS-scent? Ha ha. OMOS-scent, thank you, that’s a good one!
Liam is a content writer for Gambling Industry News. Liam has over 10 years experience in content & PR writing, with 100's articles published in global online news outlets, including The New York Times, Daily Mail & Sports Illustrated.
