Sign up for the Over the course of her 22-year career, she wrestled for promotions such as the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE), Extreme Championship Wrestling, the American Wrestling Association, and World Championship Wrestling. She is still known today for her career as a wrestler, grew up being very close to Andre the Giant, then competed in Extreme Championship Wrestling, Jordan Burroughs Net Worth, Height, Weight, Wife Biography, What happened to Andrew Bynum? At Unforgiven, however, she lost to Ivory in a Hardcore Rules match. [15], In August 1998, Luna had apparently patched up her differences with Sable, as the latter, now split from Marc Mero, introduced her as the newest member of the Human Oddities stable. Luna spent only the first four years of her life with her father Charles Henry Wilkerson and her mother Rebecca Van Pierce, as her parents divorced in 1996, and she was then adopted by her mothers new husband Butcher Vachon Luna didnt have any siblings, but grew up being very close to Andre the Giant who was a French professional wrestler and an actor. She liked to watch romantic comedy movies in her spare time, and her favorite actor and actress were Will Smith and Amanda Seyfried, while some of her favorite movies were I Am Legend, I, Robot and Letters to Juliette. Vice TV's docuseries Dark Side of the Ring aired an episode about Vachon on October 14, 2021. [6][7] Andr the Giant, with whom she was close and who took her on a trip to Paris in 1974, also tried to dissuade her. [4] By virtue of the adoption, Luna is also the niece of "Mad Dog" Vachon and Vivian Vachon. She won the Ladies Wrestling Award in 2009. Luna became the Great Lakes Championship Wrestling Ladies Champion on 9 June 2007 after beating Traci Brooks, but later that year on 5 December she announced that she was retiring from wrestling she fought her final fight on 7 December.Luna Vachon. She is survived by her two sons and two granddaughters. Less than three years later, however, on the morning of August 27, 2010, Luna Vachon was found dead by her mother at her home in Florida, the result of an overdose of painkillers and anti-anxiety medication. In December, Sable, who had won the reinstated WWF Women's Championship, was attacked by the masked "Spider Lady", who turned out to be Luna. His first wife was a professional wrestler, Luna Vachon. In 1985, Luna debuted in Championship Wrestling from Florida, as a young, soft-spoken reporter named Trudy Herd, who was giving Kendall Windham an award. She was married three times, to Dan Hurd, Tom Nash, and David Heath; she had two children with Hurd. In the early nineties she took over management of The Blackhearts, a masked tag team coming out of Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling. During her time in Florida, Luna first wrestled Madusa Miceli, beginning a long-lasting in-ring rivalry. Luna became addicted to medication at some point and underwent rehabilition, paid for by WWE, which she completed in June 2009. Their first feud was against Vader. Luna scored a pinfall victory in August, but lost a rematch in September. Hurd, who has his own slice of notoriety from competing on TVs Hells Kitchen, has a terrific presence on screen. Stay tuned, and read more to explore more about Dan Hurd. This led to a mixed tag on the following episode of SmackDown, in which Vachon and Gangrel defeated Moore and her partner Prince Albert. At WrestleMania X, Bam Bam and Luna finally got their revenge on Doink by beating the Clown and his midget side-kick Dink in a mixed tag team match.[6]. After her retirement, Luna took an interest in fellow Canadian wrestlers and especially monitored the career of Nattie Neidhart, the daughter of friend and fellow wrestler Jim Neidhart. It was during this time the relationship between Luna and Bam Bam first showed cracks after interference in a match backfired. On 31 October 1994, Luna married Toms best friend David Heath, but they divorced in 2006 although remaining close friends until Lunas death. When she was found, she was working as a waitress at a restaurant. In the autumn of 1993, Bam Bam and Luna ran afoul of some practical jokes from Doink the Clown, leading to a Survivor Series style match at the 1993 event of the same name pitting Bam Bam, The Headshrinkers, and Bastion Booger against four Doinks (actually Men on a Mission and The Bushwhackers in clown makeup). Its a fitting tribute to a woman who, to a person in this episode, could frighten someone as easily as she could show loving care towards them. She was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. She was a lover of animals, and had a pet dog and two pet cats while her favorite animals were monkeys and donkeys. She was previously placed by WWE at the 14th spot on their list of the most influential female wrestlers of all time. After breaking up, she dated Dick Slater for a while until Slater began physically abusing her. [undefined] [undefined] [undefined] Vachon had become addicted to medication and was rehabilitated. Her family objected to her entering the wrestling business and tried to dissuade her, as they considered a wrestler's life at that time too harsh for a female. The American-Canadian professional wrestler, Gertrude Elizabeth Vachon who is better known under her ring name Luna Vachon was born on 12 th January in 1962 in Atlanta, Georgia, the U.S. From her childhood, she wanted to be a wrestler to continue her family's wrestling legacy. Madusa Miceli looks back on her friendship with Vachon, noting both had their frustration with the state of womens wrestling at the time. Their first feud was against Vader. One of her fondest memories about the wrestling business was being able to visit children as part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Her rehabilitation was paid by WWE, which she completed on June 2009. Dan started as a gold prospector and launched his YouTube channel in July 2008. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. They hired her, but not without some complications. While in Florida, she shared residence with wrestlers Scott Levy (later known as Raven), and Denny Brown. Luna Vachon is a former professional wrestler who is no more in existence after her death. Wife of Pro Wrestler "The Vampire Warrior" aka "Gangrel" of the WWF. > Sporting Connection In 2007, she worked as a tow truck operator in Port Richey, Florida. Luna was addicted to medications, but in June 2009 she completed her rehabilitation program which was paid for by WWE later that year, her house burned to the ground and some people believe that Luna might have accidentally caused the fire. As a member of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) family, she loved traveling the world and the relationships she had. The woman known as Trudi Hurd was actually Luna Vachon, daughter of legendary wrestler, Mad Dog Vachon. 01.11.2003. The year 2003 saw her enter the German EWP, while she also entered British ASW in 2006, and Women Superstars United in 2007. He also adopted the four-year old Luna and continued to raise her as his daughter after the marriage split. Well, while we feel jealous of the kind of money these wrestlers receive, their innumerable contribution to the wrestling industry and their continuous efforts cannot be measured in monetary terms. This started a feud between the two with Luna even scoring a pinfall victory during an impromptu, non-title match. Both Lunas sons are avid cooks, and have competed in the cooking program Hells Kitchen. July 31, 1993-Superstars: Luna Vachon vs. Sensational Sherri ended in a no contest. After this, Luna challenged Sable to an Evening Gown match at Unforgiven and scored the victory by stripping her opponent down to her underwear. In the same year, she was rated #306 in the PWI 500[16][17] the second woman to be included in that list after Miss Texas. As aforementioned, Dans current wife is Dayna Hurd. There's a perfect opening for this week's Dark Side of the Ring episode features Luna Vachon: her menacing and manic appearance accompanied by her growling voice lets viewers know (and reminds those that already do) that they're about to dive into the life story of a truly unique wrestler's story. Gertrude Elizabeth Wilkerson (January 12, 1962 - August 27, 2010) was an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Luna Vachon. She was the first person to challenge Jacqueline on the February 7 edition of "Raw", but failed following a DDT. This started a feud between the two with Luna even scoring a pinfall victory during an impromptu, non-title match. [7] After her retirement, Luna took an interest in fellow Canadian wrestlers and especially monitored the career of Nattie Neidhart, the daughter of fellow wrestler and friend Jim Neidhart. to Showbuzz Daily. On June 9, 2007, Luna became the first Great Lakes Championship Wrestling's Ladies champion defeating Traci Brooks. At Unforgiven, however, she lost to Ivory in a Hardcore Rules match. Dan Hurd is currently married to Dayna Hurd. Wrestlers she has managed: Bam Bam Bigelow, Bull Nakano, Goldust, Tommy Dreamer, The Oddities, Gangrel, Shawn Michaels. [8], In 1985, she debuted in Florida Championship Wrestling, as a young, soft-spoken reporter named Trudy Herd, who was giving Kendall Windham an award. . [15] Still, Luna described the match as a highlight in her career. Luna suffered from bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression and she found comfort in religion after becoming a born again Christian in 2004 she was baptized by Nikita Koloff, a retired professional wrestler, and her ex-husband David. Oct 2014 - Oct 20162 years 1 month. Luna Vachon took some time off from wrestling and settled in Florida.. December 12, 1990-JWP: Rockin' Robin defeated Luna Vachon to retain the WWOW title. Gertrude was enamoured with her new aunt Vivian and sought to follow her footsteps into wrestling. Luna died at the age of 48, so wouldve been 58 today. More From Cageside Seats Raw got us closer to multiple WrestleMania matches The Daily Luna interfered in Madusa's matches against WCW Women's Champion Akira Hokuto, preventing a title win by Madusa. She buys into the lifestyle and finds her way into alcohol and drugs, marrying and divorcing many times over and choosing life on the road over settling down, even after birthing two boys in a marriage to Dan Hurd. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. At the Royal Rumble, Sable successfully retained the title thanks to the interference of that fan, who now entered WWF competition as Tori. Many stars went to high school or even college together, but Luna actually spent some time living in the same house as Raven of ECW fame.. Related: 10 Things Fans Should Know About Sensational Sherri Martel The surprising connection actually came during the early stages of her career when she was . WWE Raw (1993-2000)as Luna Vachon / Princess Luna / Luna / Princess Luna, WWF Royal Rumble: No Chance in Hell (1999)as Luna Vachon. First to Dan Hurd, with whom she had two sons, Joshua (born 1980) and Van (born 1982 . She successfully defended her GLCW Ladies Championship against Traci Brooks and then retired as champion. During that feud, Luna also answered a challenge from then Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett and defeated him via disqualification, thanks to Ivory's interference. The show details a little history about Vachons adopted family: her uncle Maurice, Aunt Vivian, and her father Paul. Aug 5: WWE SummerSlam, > Archives (1999), WCW Monday Nitro (1995) and WXW Rage TV (1996). In 1985, Luna entered Florida Championship Wrestling, and two years later joined the Continental Wrestling Association the following years saw her wrestle in Japan and Puerto Rico while being managed by her stepfather. When the WWF's women's division was revived, Luna's old rival Madusa, who had entered the WWF under the name Alundra Blayze, won the Women's Championship. How did Luna Vachon die? Six months later, Luna returned at SummerSlam, chasing then Women's Champion Ivory backstage after a successful title defense against Tori. TMZ later reported that the District Six Medical Examiner's Office ruled her death as "accidental.". Venues included the IWA Puerto Rico in 2000,[22][23] the Australian World Wrestling All-Stars in 2001,[24][25] the German EWP in 2003,[26][27] the British ASW in 2006[28][29] and WSU in 2007.[30][31]. The episode, titled The Many Faces of Luna Vachon, presents a wide array of people who knew and loved Vachon, although they were all sympathetic voices and the one thing the episode could have benefitted from was an opposing viewpoint on certain events. Have you ever wondered what it would be like if your hobby became your profession? She came from a wrestling family and spent her childhood in the ring, which sparked her interest in the sport and helped her develop her wrestling skills. She later married and divorced wrestlers Dick Slater and David Heath. Vince McMahon allegedly told Luna Vachon she would be fired if she "bruised or scratched" Sable during their match at WWE WrestleMania 14 in 1998. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Similarly, YouTube is the primary source of income and the platform where he received his fame. Jul 1: Money in the Bank Gangrel, who accompanied her to ringside, responded by executing his Impaler DDT on the champion. She was featured in both Playboy and Hustler. With whom she had two sons and two granddaughters the Wrestling business was being able visit. 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