The professional wrestling world mourns the loss of Jeremy Laymon, known to fans as Jax Dane, who passed away unexpectedly at the age of 48 on Wednesday, December 25. The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) announced the news Thursday afternoon, revealing that Dane’s death was due to complications from a heart attack he suffered in late November 2024.
Dane began his wrestling career in 2012 with NWA Houston, where he teamed with Raymond Rowe — now known in WWE as Erik of The War Raiders — as part of the tag team The Path of Resistance. His career quickly gained momentum, leading to appearances in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in 2013. During his time there, he shared the ring with prominent names such as KUSHIDA, Shelton Benjamin, and Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson.
In 2015, Dane reached new heights in his career by winning both the NWA National Heavyweight Championship and the prestigious NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship. He claimed the latter by defeating former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroyoshi Tenzan. His reign as NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion lasted an impressive 419 days, making it one of the longest in the modern era of the NWA. Dane held the title until 2016, when he lost it to Tim Storm.
Following his championship reign, Dane ventured into other prominent wrestling promotions, including Ring of Honor, IMPACT Wrestling (where he competed as Wilcox), and Ohio Valley Wrestling. He returned to the NWA in 2020 and continued to make his mark, becoming a two-time NWA National Heavyweight Champion. As recently as October 2024, Dane was active in the ring, teaming with Tim Storm to defeat Jake Dumas and Zyon on the October 26 episode of NWA Powerrr.
“Very few people have been as influential to my wrestling career as Jax,” said Tim Storm in a press release. “He was completely unselfish. That is no more evident than in our current tag team. He put me squarely on his shoulders and made it happen.”
The wrestling community has lost a beloved figure, and Wrestling Inc. extends heartfelt condolences to Jeremy Laymon’s friends, family, and fans.