Brett Lauderdale has shared an update on the status of Nick Gage, posting photos that show the deathmatch wrestling legend in excellent physical shape and hailing him as breaking free from “decades of addiction”.
The Game Changer Wrestling promoter took to social media on Sunday regarding the 45-year-old, who was removed from bookings in October to enter rehab.
Lauderdale’s post featured images of a leaner and more muscular Gage, alongside a message stating that the wrestler had been “face to face with death” on October 1.
On oct 1st, this guy was face to face with death
in less than 3 months, the turnaround is shocking & remarkable
this is what it looks like when you break free from decades of addiction and finally start believing in yourself
the king is back and i couldn’t be more proud MDK
Lauderdale also reposted the messages with “Thank you” to Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, suggesting the WWE Hall of Famer may have played a role in facilitating Gage’s recovery.
Gage, real name Nicholas Wilson, has battled with addiction for much of his career. His struggles were chronicled in a widely viewed 2021 episode of Dark Side of the Ring, which covered a 2010 bank robbery that led to a five-year prison sentence.
Following his release in 2016, Gage experienced a career resurgence that included a GCW World Title reign and a nationally televised match against Chris Jericho on AEW Dynamite in July 2021.
The wrestler faced personal tragedy earlier this year when his wife, Sondra, passed away in April.
to the haters, grifters, enablers & bad faith "brothers" who cowardly looked the other way or played dumb when you were called out, die slow, your time will come pic.twitter.com/qxbzitt4EN
— brett lauderdale (@Lauderdale11) December 29, 2025
