38 Wrestlers Who Died In 2025
28. Rico Suave (20 March)
An eighteen-year veteran in Puerto Rico's esteemed World Wrestling Council, Rico Suave passed away on 20 March from heart failure, aged 54. Grimly, he had been due to undergo open-heart surgery just days later.
The second-generation grappler - his father was José Estrada, Sr., one of the original Los Conquistadores, and his brother was José Estrada, Jr. of Los Boricuas infamy - broke into the business at the age of just fourteen, and joined the WWC as an active competitor in 1995, having previously been the promotion's leading manager, guiding Kane, Greg Valentine, Eddie Gilbert, and a pantheon of other in-ring greats to their Puerto Rican successes.
Upon switching stances, he held the company's Caribbean Heavyweight, Puerto Rico Heavyweight, Television, and Tag Team Championships, and enjoyed vibrant performances as both a babyface and a heel, ending his time working under Carlos Colón by becoming 'Mr Hardcore', having seemingly become infatuated with the growing popularity of the deathmatch wrestling style. He left the promotion for good in 2009 after a reported dispute with Carlos.
Wrestling his final match in 2021, Suave formally retired from the ring in 2024 after undergoing the partial amputation of his right leg, the result of being involved in a car collision as someone living with diabetes.