Goodbye, JT Lightning Or Today Is A Good Day To Die

The first time I heard the name of JT Lightning would have been in the early 1990s, when I was in California from Arizona for the AIWA and the promote had received a letter from him, feeling out possible bookings in the west. What stuck with me was he operated out of Cleveland and though normally associated with Arizona/California/Mexico I was from Akron. It would be over a decade later before we would be on a couple cards together, when my wife and I moved back to Ohio. JT never made it out west and in retrospect they dropped the ball by not using him in the California/Arizona area.

JT did quite well on his own, as his Cleveland All Pro Wrestling thrived for years. He survived a major knee injury and made a comeback. He survived Indy promotional wars. He survived the trials of Indy promoting.He survived dealing with booking and wretsling name guys. He survived the annoyance of running a quality television show for his promotion.

Then in April of 2010 he was diagnosed with throat cancer, which spread.

He almost beat that too...or so it seemed...for he turned what was figured by many to be an issue of months at best into over a year and a half of life.

It almost seemed as if by some great miracle, he would beat the thing.

Almost.

On August 4 at 4:30 p.m. Ohio time, the incredible battle against the odds ended for good.

JT Lightning almost made it out west once, but the transportation expenses were too much I guess.

For a while and against all hope, it seemed like he would be beating the cancer too.

Almost.

So close and yet so far.

I have repeated this saying to the point of tedium on many threads started since August 4 about his life and death. It is an old Sioux proverb. If people agree with it that is fine and if not, then fine also.

"Today is a good day to die, for now his spirit walks with his ancestors."

August 4 was a good day to die, for it ended a long and horrific battle against the odds. He fought cancer like no man I have ever seen, but it was time to just give in. It was a good day to die, for his pain and misery, especially in the final weeks, came to a close.

August 4 was a good day to die, for on that afternoon, JT Lightning walked down the aisle and not into the ring, but into history.

JT Lightning. 1970-2011.