The Queen of Extreme: Luna Vachon

"In a world full of butterflies, it takes balls to be a caterpillar,” - Luna Vachon

Luna Vachon was one of the most unique women in professional wrestling. She had a distinct look, was influential, and had amazing in-ring wrestling abilities. Let’s look back at Luna and her importance in the industry.

Luna, born Gertrude Elizabeth Vachon, was born on January 12, 1962, in Atlanta Georgia to Rebecca Pierce and Charles Wilkerson. Her father sadly died in 1966, and she was adopted by Paul “Butcher” Vachon sometime after this. Luna was also the niece of “Mad Dog” Vachon and Vivian Vachon because of the adoption. Luna’s career spanned 22 years. She worked with WWE (formerly WWF), ECW, American Wrestling Association, and WCW.

"I grew up wanting to be a part of this business so badly," remembered Luna back in 2007. "My family discouraged me at first. My aunt Vivian was a wrestler, so they knew the kind of toll that wrestling could take on a woman's body. I didn't let that stop me though. It was in my blood, and all I wanted to do was become a wrestler."

Training

Luna's training was under her family and with other trainers such as “Wild” Bill Irwin. When she was younger, she would attend wrestling events and spend some time playing in the ring. This would lead to her training with some stars in WWE. Andre the Giant, who was her close friend, also tried talking her out of wrestling as well. At 16, Luna would begin training with her aunt Vivian and The Fabulous Moolah. She would go to Luna would go to Moolah’s all-women’s school in South Carolina with her ring name being Angelle Vachon. She was part of a group led by wrestler Mad Maxine.

By 1985, she debuted at Florida Championship Wrestling. She was a reporter named Trudy Herd. Her character Trudy was soft-spoken. During this storyline, Kevin Sullivan slapped her which caused her to be angry at the way he treated her. This angle would lead to her being known as Luna Vachon. She would shave her head on one side starting the beginning of her iconic look. She would wrestle in Japan in POWW and AWA.

Career and Notable Moments

In 1992, WWE would be interested in her and had to hire a private investigator to find out where she was. Her debut was in 1993 at WrestleMania IX. She accompanied Shawn Michaels, the Intercontinental Champion at the time during his match against Tatanka. Tantanka was accompanied by Sensational Sherri, and Luna attacked Sherri after the match starting their feud.
In WWE, Luna would also have a feud with Alundra Blayze (Madusa), the Women’s Champion at the time. She would have several matches but lost all of them.

When Luna returned to WWE in the late 90s, she was known as a manager for wrestlers like Goldust. This helped establish her as one of the premier women managers of the era. She had a few feuds with Sable and Jacqueline.

Personal Struggles

Luna's life and career had many personal struggles. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and battled with addiction. Many of her colleagues noticed her mood changes, and eventually, it would be the cause of her divorce from Gangrel. She previously went to drug rehab, but eventually, she would relapse. Luna struggled with accepting how women in wrestling were viewed at that time. During the time of the Attitude Era, women wrestlers were there more for their looks and being sexualized rather than their wrestling skills. She would withdraw from family and friends. She didn't see her children or grandchildren feeling she wasn’t good enough to be around them.

Her house also burned down, and she lost a lot of her wrestling memorabilia, which contributed to her feelings during that time. In 2010, Luna would overdose on benzodiazepine and oxycodone. She was 48 years old. Many of her peers spoke about her influence in the business.

Notable Accomplishments

Luna ranked #306 in the PWI 500 list in 1995. She was the second woman included in the list. The first woman on that list was Jacqueline, fka Miss Texas. Luna would be one of the first women to engage in hardcore matches and steel cage matches. She has won several championships in her career, including her titles in USWA and AWA. Sadly, she never won the WWE (WWF) Women’s Championship. Also, in 1994, Luna would be the first woman ever to appear in a WWF video game when she appeared in WWF Raw.

Luna would be inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, the WWE Hall of Fame, and the Women’s Wrestling Hall of Fame posthumously.

Final Thoughts

I believe Luna was a trailblazer. She was an amazing woman with face paint, bleached hair, a Mohawk, and was tough. She stood out as a force during her time in wrestling. She was a wrestler, manager, and antagonist making her quite unforgettable. While it is unfortunate she didn’t have more time in the industry in the spotlight, she was definitely a groundbreaking woman coming into the industry at a time when women only fit into certain boxes.