GCW Owner Calls Top Star The Indie Hulk Hogan

Brett Lauderdale has some high praise for one of the biggest names in hardcore wrestling.

On the latest episode of "The Business of the Business" podcast, the Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) owner said Nick Gage "has value beyond an active wrestler" and compared his popularity on the independent scene to that of one of pro wrestling's biggest legends.

"Financially and bottom-line speaking, he will always be good at selling merchandise whether he's wrestling or not," Lauderdale said. "He's like Hulk Hogan of the indies."

Gage, 42, has been teasing the end of his in-ring career as of late, even taking on Jon Moxley in a career vs. title match against Jon Moxley earlier this month, beating the AEW star to retain the GCW World Championship and continue his career. According to Lauderdale, GCW will "try to make it a big deal" any time Gage has a match going forward.

"We like to think that Nick is indestructible, and sometimes he doesn't seem human, but he's very human, and doing what he's done for 20-plus years does take a real toll on the body, and eventually there will be a day where he can't do this anymore," Lauderdale said. "We were fortunate to find out a couple weeks ago was not that day, but at the same time, we know that day will come sooner or later. So it's important for all of us to enjoy seeing NIck wrestle while we still can. Each match we get, we're lucky."

Gage signed what Lauderdale called "the first and likely the last contract GCW will ever offer" earlier this year. Lauderdale also discussed ways in which Gage is valuable outside the ring, referring to him as a "non-traditional coach" and calling him "the face of the company."