One of the most notable female wrestlers from the WCW era has passed away. Shannon Claire Spruill, known more commonly to wrestling fans by her in-ring name Daffney Unger, has died at the age of 46. The cause of death at this time has not been confirmed, though fans and wrestlers alike had been concerned for Unger hours before the discovery of her passing.
Fans became concerned for Daffney Unger's well-being after she appeared on Instagram Live late on the night of Wednesday, September 1 and made some rather disturbing comments. Unger, who openly spoke about and suffered from mental health issues, told viewers she was "all alone" and also mentioned how conditions like CTE could only be confirmed after someone has died.
Daffney Unger made statements in the live video that she didn't wish to do anything to harm her brain, which made it sound as though she intended to take her own life. WWE legend Mick Foley was one of those concerned and reached out to fans for help after a failed attempt to contact her.
Daffney Unger's friend and wrestler Lexie Fyfe confirmed on Thursday that she had died, and the claim was also backed up by TMZ. It's been reported that Unger was found sometime on Thursday morning, and as previously stated, a cause of death has not been officially stated.
WCW fans may remember Daffney Unger as the manager (and on-screen love interest) of David Flair, as well as a manager of Crowbar. During matches while in her wrestling persona, she often screamed at the ringside and became the second-ever woman in WCW to hold the Cruiserweight title. She also was the first wrestling opponent of Miss Elizabeth, the ex-wife of Macho Man Randy Savage and former girlfriend of Lex Luger. Unger was ultimately released by WCW in February 2001 due to budget cuts. The WCW would be purchased by the WWE a month later.
Daffney Unger would spend some time in indie wrestling organizations and also step aside from wrestling entirely for a period of time. Her next notable run came in 2008 when she joined TNA, where, among other things, she posed as a Sarah Palin impersonator called "The Governor." It was also there that Unger displayed some more extreme in-ring stunts, such as taking bumps with tacks and other objects. Unger sustained a lot of injuries throughout her time with TNA, and as a result, filed suit. The suit was later settled out of court in 2013. Unger never won a title in TNA and went on to wrestle in several other promotions such as Ring Of Honor following her release in 2011.
CinemaBlend would like to offer its condolences to the friends, family, and fans of Daffney Unger, and wish them well during this difficult time.
