Indie Wrestler Jaka Passes Away at Age 39

Former Evolve wrestler Jaka, real name Jonathan Etchevarria, passed away on Sunday at the age of 39.

Echevarria’s passing was first announced by Beyond Wrestling on Twitter who stated “The original Ace. RIP Jaka.”

Prior to his passing, Echevarria had been in intensive care after suffering a heart attack on September 4th.

Echevarria’s professional wrestling career spanned from 2007 to 2025 and was most known for his work in EVOLVE and Beyond Wrestling. Echevarria also had notable stints with Boca Raton Championship Wrestling, Chikara, C*4 Wrestling, Combat Zone Wrestling, and Game Changer Wrestling. Jaka also worked a match for AEW in 2021 for an episode of AEW Dark and worked a match at WWE’s WrestleMania Axxess event in 2018 during WrestleMania 34 weekend.

Echevarria’s notable career achievements and accolades included being a two-time EVOLVE Tag Team Champion, one-time Full Impact Pro Tag Team Champion, and a one time Wrestling Is Fun! WiF! Banana Champion.