Daffney

Shannon Claire Spruill (July 17, 1975 – September 1, 2021), better known by her ring name Daffney, was an American professional wrestler and wrestling manager. Daffney began her professional wrestling career at World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1999. In WCW, she was known for her association with David Flair and Crowbar, and became the second woman (after Madusa) to hold the WCW Cruiserweight Championship. She was released by the promotion one month before it was purchased by WWE in 2001¹. She subsequently appeared on the independent circuit until she signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in 2008. Injuries forced her to retire from wrestling in 2011, but she continued to appear in non-wrestling roles for various promotions until 2018.

Shannon Claire Spruill (July 17, 1975 – September 1, 2021), better known by her ring name Daffney, was an American professional wrestler and wrestling manager. Daffney began her professional wrestling career at World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1999. In WCW, she was known for her association with David Flair and Crowbar, and became the second woman (after Madusa) to hold the WCW Cruiserweight Championship. She was released by the promotion one month before it was purchased by WWE in 2001. She subsequently appeared on the independent circuit until she signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in 2008. Injuries forced her to retire from wrestling in 2011, but she continued to appear in non-wrestling roles for various promotions until 2018. ===Independent circuit (2001–2013)=== After her release from WCW, Spruill opted to continue wrestling, attending Dusty Rhodes' Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling training camp in Kennesaw, Georgia, for eight months. She also worked for Xtreme Pro Wrestling in 2003 as Lucy, the manager of Vic Grimes. She also appeared in Ring of Honor, where she debuted on April 26, 2003, as Lucy, the valet of the Second City Saints. In July 2003, Spruill was signed to a developmental deal by World Wrestling Entertainment. She worked in Ohio Valley Wrestling as the manager of Aaron Stevens until she was released on December 17 of the same year. Spruill decided to retire from professional wrestling. Intending to focus on her acting career, she sold her wrestling boots to her then-roommate, Mickie James. While retired, Spruill worked as a personal trainer. In June 2005, she posed for a website owned and operated by Francine and Missy Hyatt. In February 2006, Spruill returned to the independent circuit. Spruill debuted in Women's Extreme Wrestling on April 6 under the ring name Lucy Furr ("Lucifer"), acting as a lumberjill in a match between Amy Lee and Tai Killer Weed. On June 2 in Irondale, Alabama, Spruill faced El Mexicano for the NWA Wrestle Birmingham Junior Heavyweight Championship. With the help of her manager, Robert Fuller (who referred to Spruill as his "Million Dollar Baby"), Spruill defeated El Mexicano to win her third wrestling title. In February 2007, she began making appearances with Georgia Wrestling Promotions both as a manager and a referee. In April 2007, Spruill debuted as Daffney for Shimmer Women Athletes. She conducted an interview where she revealed her goal was to return to what she did from the beginning of her career and that was to manage. Later that evening she appeared as the manager of the wrestler MsChif. In April 2008 she began wrestling as her Shark Girl character. However, she returned to wrestling as Daffney after only a couple of months. On November 8, 2009, Daffney teamed with Rachel Summerlyn against the International Home Wrecking Crew at Volume 27, only to turn villainous by abandoning Summerlyn during the match, causing a loss to the IHWC. Later in the night on Volume 28, Daffney got disqualified in a match with Summerlyn, after she did not release an illegal hold off her opponent. On April 11, 2010, at the tapings of Volume 31, the evil Daffney defeated Summerlyn in a No Disqualification match. On June 27, 2010, Daffney won her only Women's Championship defeating Rachel Summerlyn in the 1st round of Anarchy Championship Wrestling's 2010 American Joshi Queen of Queens Tournament. She lost the title in the 2nd round to Jessica James. On April 6, 2013, Daffney returned to Shimmer Women Athletes at the promotion's first ever internet pay-per-view, Volume 53, where she appeared as the manager of Regeneration X (Allison Danger and Leva Bates). ===Health=== In 2003, Spruill was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Spruill had surgery in January 2017 to fuse her C-5 and C-6 vertebrae to fix an extrusion that was pressing upon her spinal column. She subsequently wrote that neck surgery was a "rite of passage" for professional wrestlers. Towards the end of her life, Spruill became vocal about concussions in the professional wrestling industry. In the 2017 book Sisterhood of the Squared Circle: The History and Rise of Women's Wrestling, she was quoted as saying concussions had ended her wrestling career and advised other wrestlers to rest after taking a blow to the head. She said the effects the concussions had on her day-to-day life were obvious, such as having to cover windows with blankets because bright lights gave her headaches. In a live video she streamed on the day she died, Spruill said, "I want the future generations to know. Don't do stupid shit like me." ==Death== On September 1, 2021, Spruill livestreamed on Instagram and read a suicide note whilst holding what appeared to be a pistol and requesting that her brain be donated for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) testing. Concerned fans took to social media to support her, and law enforcement was dispatched to her previous known addresses until her family was able to provide her updated address in Norcross, Georgia. She was found dead at her home at the age of 46. At the request of her family, her death was announced the following day by wrestler Lexie Fyfe. An official for the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner's office also confirmed her death, but did not disclose the cause. A Gwinnett County Police Department report later revealed that she had died of a gunshot wound to the chest, and her autopsy results confirmed that the gunshot was self-inflicted. Her brain was subsequently taken to Boston University CTE Center and Brain Bank for analysis, which found evidence of CTE. Her brain was the first female brain to be studied by the institution. In the days following her death, figures within professional wrestling expressed their condolences and discussed the topic of mental health. USA Today wrote that her death "intensified concerns" within the business, especially among female performers, noting the suicides of wrestlers Ashley Massaro and Hana Kimura in the preceding two years. Mick Foley and Kane posted the suicide hotline's phone number on Twitter, while Paige used the hashtag #MentalHealthMatters and Spruill's ex-boyfriend CM Punk wrote, "Ask for help. Mental, physical, spiritual, emotional. Take care of each other." Mike Johnson of Pro Wrestling Insider encouraged industry leaders to make permanent changes regarding mental health care, comparing it to WWE instituting its Wellness Policy after the 2005 death of Eddie Guerrero. While WWE does provide psychological and psychiatric services for contracted performers, Cheerleader Melissa pushed for other promotions to provide services for their wrestlers. Spruill was cremated and a celebration of life was held in her memory. Among the attendees were family, friends, and professional wrestlers such as Jamie Senegal, Leva Bates, Mia Yim, Courtney Rush, Mickie James, Nick Aldis, Allysin Kay, Marti Belle, and Kimber Lee. Awesome Kong dedicated her induction into the Impact Hall of Fame to Spruill on September 18. The following month, Impact dedicated the Monster's Ball match at Knockouts Knockdown to Spruill. Spruill's life and death were chronicled in a 2025 episode of Dark Side of the Ring. ==See also== List of premature professional wrestling deaths

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