By JAYNE KINNEY – For SlamWrestling.net

Luna Vachon is a Canadian icon who revolutionized women’s wrestling. With her leather studded, growly voiced, mohawk-wearing in-ring persona and exceptional wrestling skills, Vachon stood out as a fierce wrestler when women’s wrestling was dominated by women booked for their looks more than their in-ring ability. Vachon’s unpredictable persona extended into her personal life as bipolar disorder and substance abuse blurred the lines between performance and reality. While it would be easy to focus on the extremes of Vachon’s personality and present a sensationalized picture of Luna Vachon, in Lunatic: The Luna Vachon Story, director Kate Kroll, explores the complex life of the woman behind the gimmick.

Combining archival footage from Luna’s iconic matches and interviews with Vachon’s family, friends, and some of the top female wrestlers of the 1990s, the documentary follows Luna Vachon throughout her career as she worked to improve women’s wrestling match quality and the treatment of female talent. Her father Paul “Butcher” Vachon recalls trying to keep his daughter from wrestling until she attended her first
match at Madison Square Garden. After the show she told him, “I made up my mind. I decided what I wanted to be.”

At 16, Vachon began training to wrestle under The Fabulous Moolah, the “only game in town” for women’s wrestling in the 1980s. After leaving Moolah’s school to escape the now notorious mistreatment of female talent, she charted her course and revolutionized women’s wrestling. From her shocking debut being slapped by Kevin Sullivan and joining the Army of Darkness, her time as Wild Women of Wrestling booker, to her legendary programs with Alundra Blayze, Luna Vachon demonstrated that women could work the same hard-hitting matches as men while the wrestling industry saw women as a side show rather than the main event.

This documentary also confronts the realities of women’s wrestling in the 1980s through the Attitude Era. Vachon and the female wrestlers interviewed speak openly about the exploitation of female talent by bookers and promoters, the “ribs” from male wrestlers which made it clear women were not welcome in the locker room, and the sexual and physical violence women experienced. While these stories have received more publicity and accountability in recent years, Lunatic places the wrestler’s experiences into the broader context of the industry both behind the scenes and the portrayal of women in the ring to shine a light on pervasive exploitation of female talent during these eras and how Luna pushed back to improve the industry she loved.

Along with her drive to improve women’s wrestling, the film follows Vachon’s fight with bipolar disorder, physical injuries, and substance abuse. The filmmakers respectfully present Luna’s struggle with her bipolar disorder, including her struggle with medications and their side effects, and the physical pain from in-ring injuries. These experiences are placed in context with Referee Aubrey Edwards who discusses her
struggle with bipolar disorder and the challenges of finding medications that work for her. This context focuses the narrative on the woman struggling with pain and mental illness behind the stories of erratic behavior and extreme drug use that often dominate portrayals of Luna Vachon’s life.

One of Lunatic’s greatest strengths is its use of interviews, Luna Vachon’s family members, fellow wrestlers, and friends to present a fuller picture of Vachon and her life. Writer, producer, and director Kate Kroll, who wrestles as “Calamity Kate”, has expertise as both a wrestler and skilled director, is on full display. The wrestlers interviewed in the documentary, speak honestly and openly as they talk with someone who understands the business. Through interviews, the audience sees Luna as a loving wife and daughter, a mother who cared about her children and worked to separate them from her volatile life, and someone who could be violent and unpredictable. She was simultaneously the vicious Luna Vachon who terrified fans and wrestlers alike, and the angelic Trudy Vachon that her family and friends described as a sweet person who feared being alone. These aspects of her life are not contradictions or a split personality but part of a complex life.

Lunatic: The Luna Vachon Story presents Luna Vachon as a person, not just a gimmick. Luna Vachon was a revolutionary wrestler who transformed women’s wrestling and paved the way for the storylines and matches we know today. It presents a respectful and humanizing look at the woman behind the gimmick and how she and her contemporaries pushed back against a wrestling industry that saw women’s wrestling as a sideshow rather than an integral part of the show. Kroll bookends the documentary with footage of women’s wrestling today and interviews with wrestler Raven Lake and referee Audrey Edwards describe how Vachon inspired them and their ongoing work to improve women’s wrestling. Vachon’s legacy lives on. Lunatic: The Luna Vachon Story is a must-watch for anyone who loves professional wrestling, especially women’s wrestling. The film’s World Premiere is at Canadian Film Fest on Saturday, March 29, 9:00 pm in the Scotiabank Theatre.

Rating 5

Viewers should be aware that the documentary covers mental illness, substance abuse, physical and sexual abuse, and suicide.

EDITOR’S NOTE: SlamWrestling.net Producer Greg Oliver was an Associate Producer on this documentary, but had no say in this review.

TOP PHOTO: Luna Vachon.

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Jayne Kinney is from Minnesota and brings a strong interest in writing about wrestling. Her husband is an indie wrestler and she’s done a lot of work at indie shows. She’s also a PhD with deep knowledge of indigenous peoples issues. You can learn more about her and her work here.