Jaka (wrestler)
Jaka in August 2018 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jonathan Echevarria February 12, 1986 Staten Island, New York, U.S. |
| Died | September 7, 2025 (aged 39) Florida, U.S. |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Jaka Jonny Mangue |
| Billed height | 5 ft 8 in (178 cm) |
| Billed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Trained by | Harley Race Magic |
| Debut | August 2007 |
Jonathan Echevarria (February 12, 1986 – September 7, 2025), better known by his ring name Jaka, was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his work in Beyond Wrestling, Game Changer Wrestling, and Evolve. He also made appearances for WWE, All Elite Wrestling (AEW), BRCW, WIF and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).
Professional wrestling career
Game Changer Wrestling (2015–2016)
In March 2015, Jaka made his Game Changer Wrestling debut at the time it was then called Jersey Championship Wrestling. He made his last GCW appearance on March 12, 2016, at To Crown A Champion, defeating Matt Macintosh.[1]
Evolve (2016–2018)
Jaka made his Evolve debut on November 12, 2016, at Evolve 72, where he teamed up with Chris Dickinson and they defeated Darby Allin and Tony Nese. On April 22, 2017, at Evolve 82, they defeated their Catch Point stablemates Fred Yehi and Tracy Williams to win the Evolve Tag Team Championship.[2] Dickinson and Jaka would win the titles again at September 23, at Evolve 93.[3] They held the titles until October 28, 2018, when they lost them to the Street Profits at Evolve 114.[4][5]
WWE (2018)
As part of WWE and Evolve Wrestling's partnership, Dickinson and Jaka made their WWE debut at WrestleMania 34 Axxess where they successfully defended their Evolve tag team championships against Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch.[6][7]
BRCW (2022–2025)
In September 2022, Jaka defeated The Wingmen (Cezar Bononi and JD Drake) in a 4-way ladder match with Sean Maluta and won the tag team championship title.[8][9][10] Later in July 2023, he appeared on NWA/BRCW Boca Versus The World.[11][12] Jaka made his last BRCW appearance on March 09, 2025, at Challenge Accepted 2 against Jonny Fairplay and Oddyssey.[13]
Death
On August 31, 2025, Jaka suffered a heart attack and was placed in the ICU.[14] He died a week later, on September 7, at the age of 39.[15][16]
Championships and accomplishments
- Boca Raton Championship Wrestling
- BRCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Sean Maluta
- Evolve Wrestling
- Evolve Tag Team Championship (2 times)[17] – with Chris Dickinson
- Full Impact Pro
- FIP World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Sean Maluta[18][19]
- Wrestling Is Fun!
- WIF! Banana Championship (1 time)[20]
References
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (March 12, 2016). "GCW Finals To Crown A Champion - Event @ Game Changer World in Howell, New Jersey, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
- ^ Williams, JJ (April 22, 2017). "Evolve 82 results: Kyle O'Reilly makes his return". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
- ^ Johnson, Mike (September 24, 2017). "Evolve 93 results from Illinois". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
- ^ "Street Profits to challenge EVOLVE Tag Team Champions Chris Dickinson & Jaka at EVOLVE 114". WWE. October 26, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
- ^ "NXT's Street Profits Win EVOLVE Tag Titles (VIDEO)". October 29, 2018.
- ^ "EVOLVE returns to action after historic WrestleMania Axxess title bouts". WWE. May 13, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ "WWE WrestleMania Axxess 2018 - Tag 3". Cagematch. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ "Jaka: Profile & Match Listing - Internet Wrestling Database (IWD)". www.profightdb.com. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
- ^ "Matches « Jaka « Wrestlers Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
- ^ Sasha (September 8, 2025). "Indie Wrestler Passes Away After Suffering Heart Attack". eWrestling | WWE, AEW News. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
- ^ Sinha, Sap (June 17, 2023). "Various News - NWA/BRCW Show, Impact Diary Episodes, AAW Update, Al Snow". eWrestlingNews.com. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
- ^ "411MANIA". Lineup Announced For NWA & Boca Raton Championship Wrestling Show. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
- ^ "BRCW Challenge Accepted 2 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- ^ Currier, Joseph (September 4, 2025). "Former EVOLVE wrestler Jaka in ICU after heart attack". Wrestling Observer.
- ^ Rose, Bryan (September 7, 2025). "Wrestling News: Former EVOLVE wrestler Jaka passes away at 39 years old". Wrestling Observer.
- ^ Flanagan, Neal (September 7, 2025). "Former EVOLVE Tag Champion Jaka (Jonathan Echevarria) passes away at 39". Post Wrestling.
- ^ "EVOLVE Tag Team Championship". Cagematch. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (November 14, 2021). "WWN Supershow: Battle Of The Belts 2021 - Pay Per View @ OCC Road House in Clearwater, Florida, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (November 14, 2021). "FIP World Tag Team Championship". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- ^ "WIF! Banana Championship". Cagematch. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
External links
- Jaka's profile at Cagematch , Wrestlingdata , Internet Wrestling Database