Real name: Shannon Spruill
Height: 5’6″
Weight: 130 lbs.
Date of birth: July 17, 1975
Date of death: September 1, 2021
From: Atlanta, GA
Pro debut: December 1999
Trained by: Dusty Rhodes
Finishing move: Frankenscreamer
Biography
– Spruill was a military brat and had lived on or around at least six air bases by the age of 12
– Spruill graduated from Georgia State University in March 1998
– Spruill was hired by WCW in November 1999, initially in a manager role. She would be given the ringname ‘Daffney’ and was paired with David Flair
– Daffney made her first PPV appearance at Starrcade ’99, coming to the aid of Flair
– On the May 15, 2000 Nitro, Crowbar & Daffney defeated Chris Candido & Tammy Sytch to become co-holders of the WCW Cruiserweight Title. A week later, Daffney defeated Crowbar (with help from Candido & Sytch) to become the sole holder of the title
– On the May 24 Thunder, Daffney defeated Chris Candido & The Artist to retain the WCW Cruiserweight Title
– At Bash At The Beach 2000, Daffney defeated Miss Hancock in a Wedding Gown Match
– Daffney was released by WCW in February 2001, just over a month before the demise of the promotion
– Spruill decided to continue in the wrestling business, undergoing further training at Dusty Rhodes’ TCW through the remainder of 2001
– Daffney made her indy debut at a TCW event on December 7, 2001, losing to Malia Hosaka
– In July 2003, Spruill signed a WWE development deal, but was cut from her contract that December without making any formal appearances for the company. She opted to retire from wrestling at this point, becoming a personal trainer
– Spruill returned to wrestling in early 2006
– On June 2, 2006, Daffney defeated El Mexicano to win the NWA Alabama Junior Heavyweight Title
– On July 14, Daffney defeated Joe Hogan to retain the NWA Alabama Junior Heavyweight Title
– On September 22, Daffney defeated Mike Jackson by countout to retain the NWA Alabama Junior Heavyweight Title
– In December 2008, Spruill began working for TNA as an imitation of Governor Sarah Palin
– At Destination X, ‘The Governor’ teamed with Taylor Wilde & Roxxi to defeat The Beautiful People (Angelina Love, Velvet Sky & Madison Rayne)
– In early 2009, Spruill resumed her Daffney character in TNA
– In October 2009, Daffney suffered a concussion and would be out of action for a spell
– Daffney suffered a further concussion in a match against Miss Betsy in April 2010
– Daffney’s TNA contract expired in March 2011 and was not renewed. It was later revealed that Daffney had been forced into retirement through injury and had filed a worker’s compensation claim against TNA, claiming an unsafe working environment. The suit was settled in March 2013
– Following her in-ring retirement, Daffney would return to a managerial role for SHINE
– Spruill underwent spinal surgery in January 2017
– Spruill was found dead at her home on September 1, 2021 of what was later revealed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound