38 Wrestlers Who Died In 2025

Jaka, best remembered for his stint in EVOLVE Wrestling, passed away at the age of 39 on 7 September after having suffered a heart attack one week before. He spent a week living in the ICU, but was sadly unable to make a full recovery before his passing.

Born Jonathan Echevarria on 12 February, 1986 in Staten Island, the New Yorker circled various small-league North American independents before he got his career break in 2015. Debuting for GCW put Jaka's name on the map, being scouted by EVOLVE promoter Gabe Sapolsky and becoming a regular entity of the burgeoning indie group by 2016. By 2018, he had twice held the EVOLVE Tag Team Championships, had challenged the internationally-renowned Zack Sabre, Jr. for the promotion's top prize, and had debuted for WWE - over WrestleMania 34 weekend no less - through Sapolsky and Vince McMahon's working agreement.

The global pandemic saw Jaka one of many to have their career slip into obscurity, and despite one-off appearances for AEW and the NWA, he wrestled his last match in March 2025.