No one ever thought that a quiet young girl named Gertrude Elizabeth Wilkerson (Vachon) would become one of the wildest women in early wrestling and an instant fan favorite. Growing up, Gertrude was surrounded by wrestling and wrestlers. Her stepfather was Paul “The Butcher” Vachon, and her aunt Vivian and uncle Mad Dog Vachon were also wrestlers. Thinking back to her early years, Vachon said, “Wrestling is in my blood, and all I want to do is become a wrestler,” according to ProwrestlingStories.com. She was anxious to get in the ring and make her family proud.
The Early Years of Luna Vachon:
Over time, her stepfather, Paul “The Butcher” Vachon, and other family members gave in and began teaching Luna some basic wrestling moves from their Minnesota home and workout facility. From there, she moved to South Carolina where she trained with The Fabulous Moolah, just like most of the other female wrestlers at the time. Her goal was to be a bad buy in the ring, but at only 110 pounds, Moolah thought she was too small for a heel. After completing her training, it was time for Luna’s introduction to the pro-wrestling audience.
During the early years, many storylines were scripted. These were called kayfabe. At the time, wrestler and promoter Kevin Sullivan would write the storylines and then have wrestlers live them out in the ring and on screen. One of his storylines included Luna Vachon who was “cast” as a sports journalist named Trudy Herd in a kayfabe storyline. Trudy Herd was in the ring to present wrestler Kendall Windham with the Wrestler of the Month award. But during the ruse, Sullivan attacked Kendall Windham and slapped Trudy Herd (Luna) twice across the face. Sullivan was banned from TV events until he apologized to Trudy Herd (Luna). In a strange turnabout, Trudy accepted his apology but asked to join his Army of Darkness. As an initiation, they shaved her hair into a mohawk, but this was the first of several changes that occurred. She joined other members of the Army of Darkness and her appearance became even more bizarre.
She finally achieved her goal of being a heel in the ring!
The Rise of Luna Vachon:
Luna Vachon became known as one of the unique professional wrestlers. She would often shave one side of her face and apply odd makeup just to one side. Her hair was frequently in different colors, and it was hard to describe some of her outfits because they were so outlandish. During this time, Vachon was at her most popular. She started a feud with Sensational Sherri, and later went out to feud with Madusa. She was great entertainment, but didn’t win many matches. She returned to the WWE in the late 90s, acting as manager for several wrestlers.
The Fall of Luna:
Luna struggled with personal issues like addiction, and she was diagnosed as being bipolar. Many noticed her mood changes, and she began to withdraw from friends and family. During this time, her house burned down, and she lost nearly all her precious wrestling memorabilia. This brought on even more issues, and she lost her battle with addiction in 2010 at 48 years old. Many young women and men aspire to be like their heroes only to find out the road can be long and difficult. Some make it and go on to receive honors for their work. Others are not successful no matter how hard they try or how hard they train. Some are slowed by injury, and some suffer mental health issues. Many suffer from addiction.
Vince McMahon and others welcomed Luna into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame following her untimely death.
