13 Things We Learned From Dark Side Of The Ring: Daffney

The heartbreaking story of Shannon 'Daffney' Spruill will resonate with anybody who's either suffering their own mental health issues themselves or knows someone who is. What those people hopefully know is that they're never alone. Help is out there. Whether it comes from friends and loved ones or professionally, it's there.

VICE's latest 'Dark Side Of The Ring' episode centred around Spruill's brief highs in the pro wrestling business and her crashing lows away from it. Internally, Shannon was stricken by various problems (both physically and mentally) that contributed to her depressing demise in 2021. For those who don't know, Spruill went live on Instagram, effectively read out a suicide note, then shot herself with a borrowed gun on 1 September that year.

Her family and closest friends tried to rationalise that decision during one of the most emotional hours VICE has ever produced. This, more than anything, was a commentary on mental health, brain injuries, the importance of protecting athletes from CTE/concussions, and how difficult it is for people going through things to see that so many others care about them.

There was a segment or two on Daffney's time in WCW, TNA and her experiences in WWE's developmental system, but most of the doc focused on Spruill's deteriorating psychological state and her battles with bi-polar disorder. It's obviously a distressing watch that'll hit close to home for so many, so viewer discretion is advised.

Shannon's father Quentin, brother Darren and select friends from wrestling deserve a lot of praise for having the bravery to come on and confront a miserable chapter in their lives. They all did so respectfully out of love, and one could feel that pouring through the more people talked about their daughter/sister/friend.

Here's everything learned.

Ex-WCW star Crowbar perhaps summed things up best near the end of 'Dark Side' when he said that people remember Daffney more than him or David Flair wrestling from the trio's time together on TV. In a heartfelt moment (one of many throughout the doc), Crowbar said that he misses his friend, but wanted to thank her for all the positivity she brought to his time in a major company.

Earlier, VICE ran footage from one of Shannon's shoot interviews in 2001. There, she revealed that she was only pitched a month-long run as the Daffney character by WCW management in late-1999. The basic premise was that she'd be an obsessed fan of Flair's who wouldn't leave him alone. Initially, this was only meant to last for a short spell before everyone moved on and the promotion continued creatively struggling.

Spruill knocked the gig out of the park. Impressed, WCW top brass decided to turn the gimmick into something more. However, they left it up to Shannon whether or not she signed a deal. It becomes clear the longer the documentary goes on that she was never going to say no - Spruill had appeared in movies as a child, and she'd always yearned to perform in front of the cameras.

WCW handed her that chance, one she was grateful for.

It's incredible to think that Daffney was only going to be on a handful of Nitro/Thunder episodes before vanishing for good. Rather than becoming the answer to an obscure trivia question, Shannon turned the pitch into something grander and carved out a niche for herself on programming.