Shiloh Hill has set an ambitious target for a future WrestleMania match: former World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER.
The WWE NXT star, who emerged as the season two winner of WWE LFG: Legends & Future Greats, named GUNTHER as the opponent he would most like to meet on WWE's biggest stage. Hill explained that his experience being around the imposing Austrian star during WWE LFG left a lasting impression, particularly because of the sense of legitimacy GUNTHER brings with him whenever he enters a room or steps into a ring.
Speaking on Busted Open After Dark, Hill said he wants the opportunity to prove he can compete with a performer he considers one of the industry's best.
“When he came to ‘LFG,’ even, being able to interact with him and being around the presence that he carries,” Hill said. “I think he brings a certain amount of legitimacy to the ring. I want to go in there and show I can mix it up with one of the best, so he would be the one I would love to do it with.”
For more background on this topic, read Asuka and Kairi Sane Reunite for Birthday Gift Exchange Away From WWE Television.
A WrestleMania Goal Built Around GUNTHER's Presence
Hill's choice is notable because it is not simply rooted in the prestige of a WrestleMania attraction. His reasoning centers on GUNTHER's aura and the challenge that aura presents. For Hill, a match against the man known as the “Ring General” would offer a direct measuring stick: an opportunity to demonstrate that he belongs opposite an established former world champion who has built his reputation around intensity and ring credibility.
GUNTHER's standing in WWE makes him a natural aspirational opponent for a rising talent. He is a former World Heavyweight Champion, and his presentation has consistently emphasized discipline, physicality, and an uncompromising approach to competition. Hill did not frame the potential matchup as a shortcut to recognition. Instead, he described it as the kind of contest where he could establish that he is capable of mixing it up with an elite opponent.
That distinction matters for an NXT wrestler still defining his own place within WWE. Dream match answers often lean toward personal favorites, legends, or opponents whose styles are immediately similar. Hill instead identified a performer whose presence creates a stark contrast. In his view, that contrast is precisely what could make a WrestleMania story work.
Hill Is Focused On Naraku In NXT
While a GUNTHER match remains a long-term WrestleMania aspiration, Hill's current focus is on a very different situation in WWE NXT. He is involved in a feud with Naraku, a program driven by Hill's pursuit of greater knowledge about Naraku's ancient mist and his attempts to figure out how to overcome it.
The Naraku rivalry has given Hill an unusual challenge to navigate on the developmental brand. Rather than simply preparing for an opponent's conventional in-ring strengths, Hill has been portrayed as trying to understand the mist itself and determine what it will take to neutralize its effect. The story has put Hill's willingness to experiment and learn at the center of the conflict.
There is a connection between that current NXT issue and the WrestleMania opponent Hill selected. In both cases, Hill is presenting himself as someone drawn to difficult tests rather than avoiding them. Naraku's mist represents an obstacle Hill is attempting to study and solve. GUNTHER represents the highest level of in-ring legitimacy Hill wants to confront. The details differ, but the underlying ambition is similar: Hill wants to prove he can adapt when faced with an opponent or situation that demands more from him.
Hill did not choose one of the more established users of the mist when discussing his WrestleMania dream match. His answer instead pointed to GUNTHER, showing that his biggest ambition extends beyond the specific unusual circumstances surrounding his NXT rivalry.
“Buckle Up” When GUNTHER Arrives
During the discussion, WWE LFG coach Bully Ray recalled feeling the shift in the room when GUNTHER arrived on set. Bully Ray said the intensity was immediately apparent and believed the trainees felt it as well.
Hill agreed that GUNTHER's presence changed the atmosphere. He described an arrival that did not create a cheerful or relaxed environment, but rather one that made everyone recognize the seriousness of the moment. Hill believes that difference in energy between the two performers could become the foundation for a compelling WrestleMania story.
“I think, ultimately, every superstar in their own way should change the energy in the room,” Hill said on Busted Open After Dark. “But his, it got quiet. Some people, they put a smile on everyone's face, they brighten the mood. His [energy] was [like], buckle up.”
The description captures why GUNTHER has become such an appealing benchmark for wrestlers seeking to make a statement. Hill is not only talking about championship accomplishments or name recognition. He is talking about the feeling GUNTHER creates before a match ever begins. In Hill's view, a superstar should be able to alter the energy around them, and GUNTHER does so in a way that commands attention.
For an emerging wrestler, being able to hold his own in that environment would be a major statement. Hill's goal is not merely to share a WrestleMania ring with a former champion; it is to show that his own presence can stand up against one of WWE's most severe and established personalities.
Why The Contrast Appeals To Hill
Hill specifically pointed to their different energies as a reason the match could be effective. That is an important part of the appeal. GUNTHER's persona is built around an intimidating seriousness that Hill experienced firsthand on the WWE LFG set. Hill's own journey has included the distinctive elements of his NXT feud with Naraku, including his efforts to understand and counter the ancient mist.
On WrestleMania, an effective matchup often needs more than an impressive list of accomplishments. It needs a clear conflict that audiences can understand before the opening bell. Hill sees a possible clash with GUNTHER as having that built-in contrast: a rising performer looking to prove he can belong at the highest level against a former World Heavyweight Champion whose very presence signals that there will be no easy path forward.
That is why Hill's answer carries more weight than a standard dream opponent selection. He is identifying the opponent who best represents the challenge he wants. GUNTHER, to Hill, is the wrestler who can bring out a more definitive answer to the question of whether he can compete with WWE's top-level names.
An Ambitious Marker For A Rising NXT Talent
Winning season two of WWE LFG: Legends & Future Greats put additional attention on Hill, but his comments make clear that he is looking beyond the immediate accomplishment. The NXT star is currently occupied by the threat posed by Naraku and the mystery surrounding the mist, yet he is also thinking about what his eventual biggest-stage test could look like.
GUNTHER is the name Hill chose because the matchup represents legitimacy, pressure, and the chance to prove himself under the brightest possible spotlight. It is an ambitious objective, but it is one rooted in Hill's firsthand observation of the former World Heavyweight Champion and the reaction GUNTHER drew from everyone around him.
For now, Hill's attention remains on finding a way past Naraku in NXT. But should his path eventually take him to WrestleMania, he has already made clear who he wants waiting across the ring: GUNTHER, the man whose arrival made the room go quiet and made Hill believe he would need to buckle up.
In pictures
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.