Posted on by bdamage1
Brian Damage
Grappling with Tragedy is a series of articles that deal with unfortunate, tragic incidents that have occurred throughout the history of professional wrestling. It is unlike the ‘Wrestling with Sin’ series that deals more with the seedier side of wrestling like arrests, murders and suicides. Grappling looks more at particular tragic incidents that have in some instances altered pro wrestling in some way.
Vivian Vachon
Diane Vachon was the youngest of 13 children, with two of her brothers Maurice and Paul eventually becoming famous professional wrestlers and her niece Luna Vachon as well. Initially, Diane tried a career as a model, but she wasn’t happy doing it…so her brother Maurice ‘Mad Dog’ Vachon recommended she try her hand at pro wrestling. She immediately said yes, so her brother Maurice sent her down to South Carolina to train with the Fabulous Moolah.
She adopted the name Vivian Vachon, because it was more flashy than Diane. Vivian Vachon was a natural in the ring with great fundamentals and extraordinary strength. Vachon debuted in 1969 and almost immediately became a success story. She went on to win the Women’s title in the California territory, the NWA women’s champion in the Texas territory and defeated Kay Noble to become the AWA women’s champion. In the early 1970s, she starred in the movie ‘Wrestling Queen’, which also included her brothers and other wrestlers.
Vachon was said to be at the very peak of her career, when she abruptly retired from wrestling in 1976. The reasoning behind her retirement was her strong desire to have children. Vachon would make a couple of brief returns to the squared circle which included her older brother Maurice’s retirement tour in 1986. Vachon was married, had two children…Ian and Julie and was content being a mother and housewife. Vachon was said to have a beautiful singing voice and recorded a few songs in French.
On August 24, 1991, Vivian was driving her daughter Julie and herself in the city of St. Jean, Quebec, Canada. A car going twice the speed limit blew a stop sign and crashed into her vehicle. The crash would kill both Vivian and her daughter. The driver who hit them was reportedly drunk. Vivian Vachon was 47 years old at the time of her death…while her daughter Julie was just 9 years young. Vivian was cremated and her ashes were given to the Vachon family. Her daughter Julie was buried in Quebec, Canada.