1 00:00:08,006 --> 00:00:09,807 ♪ 2 00:00:09,907 --> 00:00:12,076 Daffney was this larger than life character. 3 00:00:12,176 --> 00:00:13,144 [screaming] 4 00:00:13,278 --> 00:00:14,946 She was goth. 5 00:00:15,012 --> 00:00:18,283 She was rock and roll. She was unhinged. 6 00:00:18,350 --> 00:00:19,251 [screaming] 7 00:00:19,318 --> 00:00:20,352 -Agh! -Oh, man. 8 00:00:20,452 --> 00:00:22,454 She was the Scream Queen. 9 00:00:22,521 --> 00:00:24,623 [Narrator] In 1999, 10 00:00:24,690 --> 00:00:28,327 Shannon Spruill arrived in WCW as Daffney Unger 11 00:00:28,460 --> 00:00:29,995 and immediately left her mark 12 00:00:30,094 --> 00:00:31,763 on the wrestling world. 13 00:00:31,864 --> 00:00:35,167 She made it cool for people who didn't feel like 14 00:00:35,267 --> 00:00:37,335 they fit in to find someone else 15 00:00:37,469 --> 00:00:38,936 who didn't quite fit in. 16 00:00:39,037 --> 00:00:41,606 She was the pioneer for 17 00:00:41,707 --> 00:00:43,509 alternative women in wrestling. 18 00:00:43,609 --> 00:00:45,511 Whatever was gonna get the story over, 19 00:00:45,610 --> 00:00:48,514 the character over, she was all for it. 20 00:00:48,613 --> 00:00:49,847 Oh, man! 21 00:00:49,981 --> 00:00:52,984 Beloved by her fans. Beloved by her peers. 22 00:00:53,085 --> 00:00:55,320 One of the most positive people 23 00:00:55,420 --> 00:00:58,023 I've ever met in my entire life. 24 00:00:58,156 --> 00:01:01,026 But sometimes the happiest people around you 25 00:01:01,125 --> 00:01:03,529 are the ones that are hurting the most. 26 00:01:03,661 --> 00:01:06,397 Off camera, Shannon was fighting a battle 27 00:01:06,531 --> 00:01:08,200 no one else could see. 28 00:01:08,299 --> 00:01:09,734 She knew how to play that character well 29 00:01:09,867 --> 00:01:12,703 because it also showed her suffering. 30 00:01:12,805 --> 00:01:15,641 Most of her adult life, she... 31 00:01:15,740 --> 00:01:17,543 fought bipolar disorder. 32 00:01:17,677 --> 00:01:19,343 That is a fight. 33 00:01:19,444 --> 00:01:20,912 She was either killing it... 34 00:01:21,046 --> 00:01:23,981 or she had no ability to do anything. 35 00:01:24,082 --> 00:01:26,084 You never know which Shannon you were gonna get. 36 00:01:26,218 --> 00:01:27,819 Enduring endless obstacles... 37 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:28,822 Oh, my god, no, no! 38 00:01:28,921 --> 00:01:30,522 And the business she loved. 39 00:01:30,621 --> 00:01:32,558 Oh! 40 00:01:32,691 --> 00:01:36,093 That head injury was bigger than maybe even she knew. 41 00:01:36,194 --> 00:01:39,097 They weren't taking care of her medical bills. 42 00:01:39,197 --> 00:01:41,733 She was in such pain all the time. 43 00:01:41,834 --> 00:01:44,069 There was a light that went out in her. 44 00:01:44,203 --> 00:01:46,772 I've looked in those eyes since she was born. 45 00:01:46,871 --> 00:01:50,108 There was just something that wasn't the same. 46 00:01:50,242 --> 00:01:53,444 I did not know how bad it had gotten. 47 00:01:53,578 --> 00:01:56,215 Shannon was the best person. 48 00:01:56,314 --> 00:01:59,584 I want people to remember her for the person that she was, 49 00:01:59,685 --> 00:02:02,387 not for the person that she ended up on that day. 50 00:02:02,489 --> 00:02:07,525 ♪ 51 00:02:07,626 --> 00:02:10,162 ♪ 52 00:02:10,262 --> 00:02:12,264 I always wanted to be an actress. 53 00:02:12,396 --> 00:02:14,900 My agent called me up and asked if I want to audition 54 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:17,102 for a little four-week 55 00:02:17,201 --> 00:02:20,073 reoccurring character for WCW. 56 00:02:20,171 --> 00:02:22,540 Stalking David Flair. 57 00:02:22,640 --> 00:02:24,575 ♪ 58 00:02:24,643 --> 00:02:25,943 Hi, I'm Daffney Unger, 59 00:02:26,044 --> 00:02:28,114 and I'm from Peoria, Illinois, 60 00:02:28,212 --> 00:02:32,251 and I love all the superstars of the WCW. 61 00:02:32,317 --> 00:02:33,651 That was it. 62 00:02:33,784 --> 00:02:35,822 That started the whole thing right there. 63 00:02:35,954 --> 00:02:39,091 David Flair, he wrestling Diamond Dallas Page. 64 00:02:39,157 --> 00:02:41,460 He was getting his butt kicked, and... 65 00:02:41,593 --> 00:02:43,762 Daffney comes running out. 66 00:02:43,861 --> 00:02:45,463 Who in the world? Who has come out here? 67 00:02:45,563 --> 00:02:46,764 Whoa! 68 00:02:46,832 --> 00:02:49,334 They're like, "Okay, you just have to kind of act crazy." 69 00:02:49,433 --> 00:02:53,104 And that's really all the information I got. 70 00:02:53,205 --> 00:02:56,341 It was just gonna be a one, two-time gig, 71 00:02:56,474 --> 00:02:58,143 and she really blew it out of the park. 72 00:02:58,276 --> 00:03:01,979 And, next thing you know, she's on TV all the time. 73 00:03:02,114 --> 00:03:03,615 My name's Darren Spruill. 74 00:03:03,681 --> 00:03:05,082 Shannon is my sister. 75 00:03:05,150 --> 00:03:07,020 You may know her as Daffney. 76 00:03:07,151 --> 00:03:09,354 They liked how I performed the character, 77 00:03:09,454 --> 00:03:13,192 so it was really kind of up to me. 78 00:03:13,292 --> 00:03:14,492 This girl's nuts. 79 00:03:14,593 --> 00:03:16,328 Look at her, she's loving this. 80 00:03:16,461 --> 00:03:19,364 At that time, all of the women that you saw in 81 00:03:19,463 --> 00:03:22,467 mainstream wrestling had that Barbie doll build. 82 00:03:22,568 --> 00:03:25,169 She was something new, 83 00:03:25,270 --> 00:03:27,673 something totally different that stood out. 84 00:03:27,772 --> 00:03:28,840 Oh! 85 00:03:28,973 --> 00:03:31,810 The cool, crazy goth girl. 86 00:03:31,909 --> 00:03:33,044 Oh! 87 00:03:33,145 --> 00:03:36,181 And the fans ate it up, they loved it. 88 00:03:36,281 --> 00:03:38,817 My name is Chris Ford and wrestling fans know me... 89 00:03:38,917 --> 00:03:40,852 as Crowbar. 90 00:03:40,985 --> 00:03:42,187 They came up with this idea 91 00:03:42,322 --> 00:03:43,889 that we were gonna have a tag team. 92 00:03:44,021 --> 00:03:46,157 Double team now by Flair and Crowbar. 93 00:03:46,224 --> 00:03:50,229 We got along great. We just automatically clicked. 94 00:03:50,329 --> 00:03:52,396 I think crazy characters are fun. 95 00:03:52,531 --> 00:03:55,067 I was crazy, David was crazy. 96 00:03:55,167 --> 00:03:56,468 Daffney was crazy. 97 00:03:56,568 --> 00:03:57,868 [screaming] 98 00:03:57,969 --> 00:03:59,670 She just screamed bloody murder 99 00:03:59,770 --> 00:04:01,840 at the top of her lungs. 100 00:04:01,907 --> 00:04:03,574 [screaming] 101 00:04:03,675 --> 00:04:04,543 It's ear piercing! 102 00:04:04,676 --> 00:04:07,246 Oh, my gosh, the scream, the scream. 103 00:04:07,378 --> 00:04:09,146 She had the scream forever. 104 00:04:09,248 --> 00:04:11,149 Sometimes she'd just come into the room and- Bah! 105 00:04:11,250 --> 00:04:13,051 [screaming] 106 00:04:13,151 --> 00:04:14,419 My mom screamed, "What were you doing, 107 00:04:14,552 --> 00:04:15,822 Darren?" "I didn't touch her! 108 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:17,923 I didn't lay a hand on her," you know. 109 00:04:18,023 --> 00:04:19,891 And she wouldn't let me get in trouble real bad for it 110 00:04:19,992 --> 00:04:22,494 because we were each other's best friends, you know? 111 00:04:22,593 --> 00:04:24,396 We didn't know anybody else. 112 00:04:24,495 --> 00:04:26,665 We were military brats, and... 113 00:04:26,732 --> 00:04:28,233 with the military, you're moving around a lot. 114 00:04:28,367 --> 00:04:30,267 You don't know anyone but your mom and dad 115 00:04:30,401 --> 00:04:31,903 and your sister so, 116 00:04:32,036 --> 00:04:34,338 you just become very, very close. 117 00:04:34,406 --> 00:04:35,673 Almost where you can 118 00:04:35,774 --> 00:04:37,908 read each other's thoughts sometimes. 119 00:04:38,011 --> 00:04:40,012 We always did things together. 120 00:04:40,112 --> 00:04:41,846 We did a lot of theatre. 121 00:04:41,947 --> 00:04:43,348 And she played soccer. 122 00:04:43,447 --> 00:04:45,050 She broke all of her fingers playing goalkeeper, 123 00:04:45,149 --> 00:04:47,252 diving into people's feet so, 124 00:04:47,351 --> 00:04:49,754 Shan wasn't scared of anything. 125 00:04:49,887 --> 00:04:52,024 She was quite an athlete. 126 00:04:52,125 --> 00:04:54,259 She could sing, she could dance. 127 00:04:54,392 --> 00:04:55,927 She could act. 128 00:04:56,062 --> 00:04:58,697 And she was a straight-A student. 129 00:04:58,764 --> 00:05:02,199 And she was beautiful. She had it all. 130 00:05:02,302 --> 00:05:04,870 My name is Quentin Spruill, and I'm proud to say 131 00:05:04,970 --> 00:05:07,706 I'm Shannon's father. 132 00:05:07,805 --> 00:05:11,242 She was in three major movies before she was ten. 133 00:05:11,343 --> 00:05:12,978 My parents gave me a doll where she says 134 00:05:13,110 --> 00:05:15,379 whole sentences on a cassette. 135 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:16,281 That was the first clue. 136 00:05:16,415 --> 00:05:17,449 When I saw on the big screen, I was like, 137 00:05:17,548 --> 00:05:20,918 hm, yeah, she may try to go on to do other things. 138 00:05:21,019 --> 00:05:22,988 Once she was bitten by the wrestling bug, 139 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:25,257 that was it. She was in it. 140 00:05:25,324 --> 00:05:27,625 If she had it in her head that she's doing this... 141 00:05:27,725 --> 00:05:29,293 she's doing it. 142 00:05:29,427 --> 00:05:30,961 -What was that for? -Whoa! 143 00:05:31,096 --> 00:05:33,130 I saw you on Monday night with that hoochie. 144 00:05:33,230 --> 00:05:35,834 [laughing] I wasn't real pleased about the matter, 145 00:05:35,968 --> 00:05:37,968 but we went with it. 146 00:05:38,069 --> 00:05:40,137 Daffney was up for anything, and I think 147 00:05:40,271 --> 00:05:42,307 that's what made it work so well. 148 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:44,343 She had a gymnastics background, 149 00:05:44,475 --> 00:05:46,343 which is how we got into... 150 00:05:46,478 --> 00:05:48,312 teaching her spots. 151 00:05:48,447 --> 00:05:51,315 Whoa! DDT from Daffney. 152 00:05:51,449 --> 00:05:53,785 We showed her safe ways to do moves that... 153 00:05:53,851 --> 00:05:57,788 look athletic, look violent, look cool, but are... 154 00:05:57,855 --> 00:05:59,990 very safe if done right. 155 00:06:00,093 --> 00:06:02,494 Which is how the Frankenscreamer was born. 156 00:06:02,593 --> 00:06:04,795 Here we go! Daffney! 157 00:06:04,863 --> 00:06:07,632 That's her Frankenscreamer off the top! 158 00:06:07,699 --> 00:06:10,201 She didn't want to look like the technical wrestler. 159 00:06:10,302 --> 00:06:12,170 She wanted to make it look like she was the crazy girl 160 00:06:12,303 --> 00:06:13,771 who just happened to be wrestling. 161 00:06:13,872 --> 00:06:15,708 I'm Lexie Fyfe, and I've been in 162 00:06:15,841 --> 00:06:18,377 professional wrestling for 30 years. 163 00:06:18,511 --> 00:06:23,214 And Shannon, aka Daffney, was my best friend. 164 00:06:23,348 --> 00:06:25,516 Shannon had that magnetism 165 00:06:25,617 --> 00:06:28,887 that made you want to watch her. 166 00:06:29,021 --> 00:06:30,521 Oh! Frankenscreamer! 167 00:06:30,622 --> 00:06:32,125 And she got noticed, and so they started 168 00:06:32,223 --> 00:06:33,725 letting her do more and more. 169 00:06:33,858 --> 00:06:36,127 There is your new cruiser weight 170 00:06:36,228 --> 00:06:37,795 champion of the world! 171 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:50,574 Get your ex-Hooter girl butt 172 00:06:50,709 --> 00:06:52,877 out here right now! 173 00:06:52,978 --> 00:06:54,579 It just kind of rolled for her, you know, 174 00:06:54,678 --> 00:06:56,882 she was the Ferris Bueller of women. 175 00:06:57,014 --> 00:06:59,151 You know, it just always worked out for her. 176 00:06:59,218 --> 00:07:01,019 She belonged in the spotlight. 177 00:07:01,119 --> 00:07:03,889 She was drawn to be in the spotlight. 178 00:07:04,021 --> 00:07:05,389 And... 179 00:07:05,490 --> 00:07:08,026 she was just enjoying the ride. 180 00:07:08,125 --> 00:07:11,062 But we all knew, at some level, 181 00:07:11,197 --> 00:07:13,531 that that ride could come to an end 182 00:07:13,598 --> 00:07:16,701 at any time. 183 00:07:16,802 --> 00:07:20,872 As Shannon's star rises, WCW crashes. 184 00:07:20,939 --> 00:07:22,708 And in 2001, 185 00:07:22,807 --> 00:07:25,776 the competition swoops in and shuts it down. 186 00:07:38,557 --> 00:07:40,759 She knew she wanted to stay in professional wrestling. 187 00:07:40,891 --> 00:07:43,261 She was talking to WWE and trying to, you know, 188 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:45,596 potentially get a contract back with them. 189 00:07:53,672 --> 00:07:55,740 She had a developmental deal, 190 00:07:55,807 --> 00:07:57,975 but never made it to the TV. 191 00:08:05,550 --> 00:08:06,951 When she did lose her contract, 192 00:08:07,084 --> 00:08:08,586 she and her husband at the time 193 00:08:08,687 --> 00:08:10,221 were going through a divorce. 194 00:08:10,322 --> 00:08:12,290 She was gonna have to move. 195 00:08:12,423 --> 00:08:15,161 It was a whole bunch of crap at once. 196 00:08:15,293 --> 00:08:17,795 She was trying some antidepressants, 197 00:08:17,896 --> 00:08:19,831 but they weren't working. 198 00:08:19,932 --> 00:08:21,565 It threw her into a spiral. 199 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:44,822 Sometimes she would just think it would be lots easier 200 00:08:44,956 --> 00:08:47,859 if I didn't have to put up with all of this. 201 00:08:47,994 --> 00:08:49,662 That's not Shannon. 202 00:08:49,793 --> 00:08:52,498 That was your first indication. 203 00:08:52,597 --> 00:08:55,500 There will be moments where everything was great. 204 00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:57,702 And then, there was other moments where... 205 00:08:57,836 --> 00:09:01,374 she just had the confidence of a mouse. 206 00:09:01,474 --> 00:09:04,375 So Shannon was diagnosed as bipolar. 207 00:09:13,485 --> 00:09:16,621 Bipolar disorder is an instability of moods. 208 00:09:16,721 --> 00:09:19,057 You'll be really, really depressed... 209 00:09:19,190 --> 00:09:20,859 and then, all of a sudden, there'll be a switch 210 00:09:20,958 --> 00:09:23,528 in your brain and you're manic. 211 00:09:23,628 --> 00:09:25,629 Your brain tricks you 'cause your chemicals are so 212 00:09:25,697 --> 00:09:28,667 messed up, which I'm also very familiar with. 213 00:09:28,732 --> 00:09:30,969 She had bipolar disorder, and I do too. 214 00:09:31,068 --> 00:09:32,803 ♪ 215 00:09:32,903 --> 00:09:34,405 My name is Amanda Rodriguez, 216 00:09:34,505 --> 00:09:37,174 and I was a best friend of Daffney. 217 00:09:37,274 --> 00:09:41,413 Mania, it can be really scary and really confusing. 218 00:09:41,546 --> 00:09:45,017 You're, like, in the backseat and your body is the car, 219 00:09:45,115 --> 00:09:46,551 and someone else is driving it. 220 00:09:46,650 --> 00:09:48,419 You don't recognize yourself. 221 00:09:53,792 --> 00:09:55,394 It's terrifying. 222 00:09:55,494 --> 00:09:57,761 There are drugs that you can take. 223 00:09:57,861 --> 00:09:59,063 The problem is they have 224 00:09:59,197 --> 00:10:02,100 horrible, horrible side effects. 225 00:10:02,232 --> 00:10:04,668 Throwing up, and headaches, 226 00:10:04,769 --> 00:10:07,304 and all kinds of stuff like that. 227 00:10:07,404 --> 00:10:09,274 There were times when she wouldn't take it 228 00:10:09,375 --> 00:10:12,844 consistently, so she wasn't seeing the benefits of... 229 00:10:12,943 --> 00:10:14,678 the medicines that she had. 230 00:10:14,778 --> 00:10:16,447 She didn't want to be on medicine. 231 00:10:16,548 --> 00:10:19,619 She wanted another way for it to be handled. 232 00:10:19,750 --> 00:10:22,253 If you don't take care of it with professional support or 233 00:10:22,355 --> 00:10:24,123 medication, it could turn into 234 00:10:24,254 --> 00:10:26,758 depressive mania, where... 235 00:10:26,857 --> 00:10:29,562 I believe, the risk of suicide comes in. 236 00:10:29,662 --> 00:10:31,696 ♪ 237 00:10:31,796 --> 00:10:34,667 One time she was in a very manic mood, 238 00:10:34,767 --> 00:10:36,967 and my dad called me on the phone, was like, 239 00:10:37,067 --> 00:10:38,235 "She's got to get to the hospital, 240 00:10:38,302 --> 00:10:39,937 she's gonna do something." And so I said, 241 00:10:40,071 --> 00:10:41,438 "Shan, you got to go to the doctor 242 00:10:41,539 --> 00:10:43,208 because I can't take care of you. 243 00:10:43,308 --> 00:10:45,477 There's nothing I can do to help you." 244 00:10:45,577 --> 00:10:46,979 There was times on the way 245 00:10:47,078 --> 00:10:49,614 that she was threatening to get out of the car 246 00:10:49,714 --> 00:10:51,448 and just run... 247 00:10:51,548 --> 00:10:55,653 but we got her there safely and... 248 00:10:55,754 --> 00:10:59,291 checked her in, and she was there for a couple weeks. 249 00:10:59,423 --> 00:11:01,494 That's not something you want to... 250 00:11:01,625 --> 00:11:03,461 do with your sister. 251 00:11:13,004 --> 00:11:15,173 You need to make sure that your children 252 00:11:15,273 --> 00:11:16,642 know that they're loved... 253 00:11:16,740 --> 00:11:18,842 no matter what. 254 00:11:18,977 --> 00:11:21,647 We prayed through and talked through 255 00:11:21,746 --> 00:11:24,517 so many things. 256 00:11:24,649 --> 00:11:29,821 She decided that she wanted to be in the ring, 257 00:11:29,955 --> 00:11:32,157 and couldn't talk her out of it. 258 00:11:39,999 --> 00:11:42,833 Following her diagnosis with bipolar disorder, 259 00:11:42,966 --> 00:11:45,836 in 2003, Shannon sets out on 260 00:11:45,937 --> 00:11:48,474 the indie circuit to rebuild her career 261 00:11:48,541 --> 00:11:50,508 and herself. 262 00:11:50,643 --> 00:11:52,043 If she still thought she could do something, 263 00:11:52,177 --> 00:11:53,510 she still wanted to do it. You know, 264 00:11:53,610 --> 00:11:55,847 that was Shannon, so that was it. 265 00:11:55,947 --> 00:11:57,481 We thought she was doing better. 266 00:11:57,582 --> 00:11:59,551 We thought she had some success, and, and 267 00:11:59,684 --> 00:12:03,022 she was in better control with the medicines, 268 00:12:03,153 --> 00:12:05,457 and day-to-day life kind of stuff. 269 00:12:05,523 --> 00:12:06,990 It was an opportunity for her. 270 00:12:07,058 --> 00:12:09,027 She wasn't at home twiddling her thumbs. 271 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:11,361 She was, she was getting to do stuff. 272 00:12:11,496 --> 00:12:14,899 Independent wrestling is a totally different... 273 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:17,836 lifestyle than TV wrestling. 274 00:12:17,902 --> 00:12:19,370 You're going from town to town to town, 275 00:12:19,471 --> 00:12:21,004 and that's when I met her. 276 00:12:21,072 --> 00:12:21,974 And she was just like, 277 00:12:22,072 --> 00:12:24,008 "This is what I'm supposed to be doing." 278 00:12:24,109 --> 00:12:25,244 [cheering] 279 00:12:25,342 --> 00:12:27,511 All she thought about was wrestling. 280 00:12:27,580 --> 00:12:30,048 [screaming] Woo! 281 00:12:30,148 --> 00:12:32,049 It doesn't matter if there was five people 282 00:12:32,183 --> 00:12:34,719 in the audience or 50,000. 283 00:12:34,854 --> 00:12:36,587 She went out there and gave 284 00:12:36,687 --> 00:12:38,724 the same exact performance. 285 00:12:38,822 --> 00:12:40,893 And Daffney with the Sunset Flip out of the corner! 286 00:12:40,991 --> 00:12:43,394 That just completely encompasses who she was, 287 00:12:43,528 --> 00:12:46,164 as a person and as a professional wrestler. 288 00:12:47,265 --> 00:12:48,600 My name is Shantelle, 289 00:12:48,732 --> 00:12:51,035 but you may know me as Taylor Wilde, 290 00:12:51,135 --> 00:12:52,570 and Daffney is one of 291 00:12:52,669 --> 00:12:55,206 my professional wrestling sisters. 292 00:12:55,273 --> 00:12:58,408 I met Daffney at Shimmer in 2005. 293 00:12:58,509 --> 00:13:00,078 Shimmer was the first time 294 00:13:00,177 --> 00:13:03,081 in any real American promotion 295 00:13:03,214 --> 00:13:05,716 that women were solely highlighted, 296 00:13:05,817 --> 00:13:08,019 and it actually kind of changed the trajectory of 297 00:13:08,086 --> 00:13:11,123 where women's wrestling was headed. 298 00:13:11,255 --> 00:13:13,357 She really wanted all the girls to band together 299 00:13:13,458 --> 00:13:16,461 because she knew it was going to be big. 300 00:13:16,594 --> 00:13:19,062 Shimmer was a great place for all of us, 301 00:13:19,164 --> 00:13:21,865 and Daffney had a really, really good time there. 302 00:13:21,933 --> 00:13:24,969 The Scream Queen, Daffney! 303 00:13:25,104 --> 00:13:27,472 [cheering] 304 00:13:27,605 --> 00:13:31,075 We were a family there and she felt it was a safe place. 305 00:13:31,176 --> 00:13:33,812 [indistinct shouting] 306 00:13:33,913 --> 00:13:35,312 [laughing] In control and 307 00:13:35,446 --> 00:13:37,381 very pleased with yourself, Daffney. 308 00:13:37,481 --> 00:13:39,484 As wrestling has grown, there's more opportunities 309 00:13:39,616 --> 00:13:42,788 for women, and the women that are involved, 310 00:13:42,886 --> 00:13:44,589 they build each other up. 311 00:13:44,688 --> 00:13:48,394 And I really think Daffney had a huge part in that. 312 00:13:48,494 --> 00:13:50,395 [indistinct chanting] 313 00:13:50,495 --> 00:13:51,562 By the time that we got together, 314 00:13:51,663 --> 00:13:53,898 she was full force, gung ho. 315 00:13:53,999 --> 00:13:55,567 She loved professional wrestling more than 316 00:13:55,667 --> 00:13:57,335 anything else in the world. 317 00:13:58,770 --> 00:13:59,772 My name is Caleb Konley. 318 00:13:59,837 --> 00:14:01,807 I've been a professional wrestler for 20 years now, 319 00:14:01,905 --> 00:14:03,808 and for four of those years, I dated Shannon Spruill, 320 00:14:03,908 --> 00:14:06,443 known to the wrestling world as Daffney. 321 00:14:06,543 --> 00:14:08,246 ♪ 322 00:14:08,346 --> 00:14:10,315 So, I was 20 years old. 323 00:14:10,416 --> 00:14:13,018 I was two years into the wrestling business. 324 00:14:13,150 --> 00:14:14,818 And she came, and... 325 00:14:14,953 --> 00:14:16,754 she had a couple of matches and... 326 00:14:16,855 --> 00:14:18,690 we started talking, and then 327 00:14:18,822 --> 00:14:20,859 it just blossomed right from there. 328 00:14:20,991 --> 00:14:23,595 We worked on tons of shows together. 329 00:14:23,695 --> 00:14:27,030 We tagged a couple times, we wrestled each other. 330 00:14:27,166 --> 00:14:29,533 She opened up a lot of doors for me. 331 00:14:29,634 --> 00:14:31,269 She introduced me to a lot of people that I would have 332 00:14:31,370 --> 00:14:34,004 probably never met on my own otherwise. 333 00:14:34,138 --> 00:14:36,207 Even if she wasn't in professional wrestling, 334 00:14:36,341 --> 00:14:38,309 Shannon was so cool. 335 00:14:38,408 --> 00:14:40,544 She was just amazing. 336 00:14:40,677 --> 00:14:43,380 But, the bipolar thing was... 337 00:14:43,514 --> 00:14:46,985 front and centre our entire relationship. 338 00:14:47,085 --> 00:14:48,519 I could wake up in the morning, 339 00:14:48,620 --> 00:14:51,855 and I could just feel the energy change. 340 00:14:51,956 --> 00:14:53,893 Sometimes she just couldn't get out of bed. 341 00:14:53,991 --> 00:14:55,860 And then at other points, she would be doing 342 00:14:55,960 --> 00:14:58,397 the elliptical for two hours a day. 343 00:14:58,528 --> 00:14:59,563 And then all of a sudden she's like, 344 00:14:59,697 --> 00:15:01,798 I have to get off this medicine because 345 00:15:01,865 --> 00:15:03,668 it's making me gain weight. 346 00:15:03,735 --> 00:15:05,903 She lost the weight, but now she's also 347 00:15:06,004 --> 00:15:08,239 completely depressed and hates life. 348 00:15:08,339 --> 00:15:11,809 And she was very quick to lose her temper in 349 00:15:11,910 --> 00:15:14,580 those times, but when her moods started to swing, 350 00:15:14,711 --> 00:15:17,349 I felt like she needed someone there 351 00:15:17,416 --> 00:15:19,049 that she could trust. 352 00:15:19,149 --> 00:15:21,918 But it's hard to stay positive. 353 00:15:22,020 --> 00:15:23,553 I was a dumb kid who thought 354 00:15:23,654 --> 00:15:25,089 he knew what he was doing. 355 00:15:25,224 --> 00:15:26,591 I didn't. 356 00:15:26,725 --> 00:15:30,595 I realize that we are just two people 357 00:15:30,695 --> 00:15:32,230 that had a moment in time together, 358 00:15:32,363 --> 00:15:34,432 and I loved her and she loved me. 359 00:15:34,532 --> 00:15:36,567 And we always had 360 00:15:36,701 --> 00:15:39,772 a pretty positive friendship after the fact. 361 00:15:39,903 --> 00:15:41,339 I think Shannon's... 362 00:15:41,405 --> 00:15:44,341 bipolar disorder was very disruptive 363 00:15:44,442 --> 00:15:46,510 for her personal life. 364 00:15:46,610 --> 00:15:48,346 But it didn't affect her work. 365 00:15:48,446 --> 00:15:49,313 Whoa! 366 00:15:49,414 --> 00:15:50,081 She could still get out there in the ring 367 00:15:50,182 --> 00:15:52,583 and do what she needed to do. 368 00:15:52,684 --> 00:15:56,955 Shannon's grit, charisma, and screen presence... 369 00:15:57,087 --> 00:15:59,892 earn her another shot back on television, 370 00:15:59,990 --> 00:16:02,092 this time with TNA. 371 00:16:02,226 --> 00:16:04,629 WWE wasn't taking the women seriously at this point. 372 00:16:04,761 --> 00:16:07,365 And, TNA decided they would. 373 00:16:07,465 --> 00:16:09,067 And they had bangers. 374 00:16:09,133 --> 00:16:10,269 Oh, my god! 375 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:12,270 It wasn't bra and panties matches. It was... 376 00:16:12,403 --> 00:16:14,272 real professional wrestling. 377 00:16:14,373 --> 00:16:16,441 Shannon didn't get brought in as a wrestler at first, 378 00:16:16,573 --> 00:16:17,643 and she didn't even get brought in 379 00:16:17,774 --> 00:16:19,410 as Daffney at first. 380 00:16:19,477 --> 00:16:22,813 They indoctrinated Daffney back into TNA wrestling 381 00:16:22,947 --> 00:16:25,649 as a parody of Sarah Palin, 382 00:16:25,750 --> 00:16:27,785 and they called her "The Governor." 383 00:16:27,918 --> 00:16:29,821 Our next-door neighbours are foreign countries. 384 00:16:29,955 --> 00:16:33,758 They're in the state that I am the executive of. 385 00:16:33,857 --> 00:16:36,995 Sarah Palin was the governor of Alaska 386 00:16:37,095 --> 00:16:39,797 and the running mate for John McCain 387 00:16:39,932 --> 00:16:43,101 in the 2008 presidential election. 388 00:16:43,201 --> 00:16:44,102 You betcha! 389 00:16:44,202 --> 00:16:46,437 Drill, baby, drill and mine, baby, mine. 390 00:16:46,538 --> 00:16:48,307 The first time Sarah Palin was on like national TV, 391 00:16:48,438 --> 00:16:50,575 she was like... "I could do that." 392 00:16:50,642 --> 00:16:52,076 Ladies... 393 00:16:52,176 --> 00:16:54,746 You are true Americans. 394 00:16:54,846 --> 00:16:56,347 Yeah? You betcha? 395 00:16:56,480 --> 00:16:58,649 People didn't actually know who it was at first. 396 00:16:58,783 --> 00:17:00,952 I remember all the wrestling gossip websites. 397 00:17:01,052 --> 00:17:02,620 They were like, "But who is it?" 398 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:03,956 And it just took off. 399 00:17:04,055 --> 00:17:05,589 What? Is that the governor? 400 00:17:05,655 --> 00:17:07,759 It is. It's Governor Palin! 401 00:17:07,858 --> 00:17:10,193 People were completely committed to the storyline. 402 00:17:10,328 --> 00:17:11,663 When was she gonna transform? 403 00:17:11,796 --> 00:17:15,500 And who was she gonna transform into next? 404 00:17:15,601 --> 00:17:19,002 The story was she was actually in 405 00:17:19,104 --> 00:17:21,105 a mental institution, and they brought in 406 00:17:21,204 --> 00:17:23,642 Doctor Stevie to bring her back to being 407 00:17:23,740 --> 00:17:25,809 the Scream Queen, Daffney. 408 00:17:25,911 --> 00:17:27,778 Daffney's bipolar was definitely 409 00:17:27,878 --> 00:17:29,713 a super power for her. 410 00:17:29,847 --> 00:17:31,615 She knew how to play that character well because 411 00:17:31,715 --> 00:17:33,116 that character was her. 412 00:17:33,217 --> 00:17:35,119 Everything was so calculated, 413 00:17:35,219 --> 00:17:36,688 from her hair, to her makeup, 414 00:17:36,788 --> 00:17:38,823 to her persona, and I could just tell 415 00:17:38,891 --> 00:17:41,358 she was gonna make it count this time. 416 00:17:41,460 --> 00:17:43,327 When she got to come back to TNA, 417 00:17:43,394 --> 00:17:45,230 and she was doing really well, 418 00:17:45,329 --> 00:17:47,198 it was like a big "F-U" to everyone 419 00:17:47,332 --> 00:17:50,134 who didn't believe in her. 420 00:17:50,233 --> 00:17:53,471 When I joined TNA, I started working with Daffney 421 00:17:53,570 --> 00:17:57,809 on screen because I really liked what she was doing. 422 00:17:57,909 --> 00:17:59,544 Do not try this at home. 423 00:17:59,676 --> 00:18:01,980 And, I wanted her on my team. 424 00:18:02,079 --> 00:18:03,815 Everything about her she tried to make 425 00:18:03,915 --> 00:18:05,383 different and unique. 426 00:18:05,482 --> 00:18:07,185 And she was successful. 427 00:18:07,251 --> 00:18:08,486 My name is Mick Foley. 428 00:18:08,586 --> 00:18:10,755 I'm known as the Hardcore Legend. 429 00:18:10,887 --> 00:18:12,522 I knew Daffney as a colleague, 430 00:18:12,624 --> 00:18:14,726 and also as a friend. 431 00:18:14,858 --> 00:18:17,428 Daffney was always up for anything. 432 00:18:17,528 --> 00:18:19,998 She just really wanted to put on a good show, 433 00:18:20,097 --> 00:18:22,400 and she wanted to be... 434 00:18:22,532 --> 00:18:25,336 whatever professional wrestling wanted her to be. 435 00:18:25,436 --> 00:18:26,570 To a fault. 436 00:18:26,704 --> 00:18:28,940 I did not have any idea that the match 437 00:18:29,073 --> 00:18:31,843 that I was in would be... 438 00:18:31,909 --> 00:18:33,744 the beginning of the end. 439 00:18:33,877 --> 00:18:36,114 Oh my God, no, no! Oh! 440 00:18:43,955 --> 00:18:45,457 Bound for Glory continues 441 00:18:45,589 --> 00:18:47,291 with the Monster's Ball Match! 442 00:18:47,424 --> 00:18:50,862 Monster's Ball, basically anything goes. 443 00:18:50,961 --> 00:18:53,130 Barbed wire bats and thumbtacks, 444 00:18:53,265 --> 00:18:56,467 and things of that nature are encouraged. 445 00:18:56,567 --> 00:18:58,402 Daffney was part of my crew. 446 00:18:58,469 --> 00:19:00,605 We did want her to play a role in the, 447 00:19:00,738 --> 00:19:02,641 the big match with Abyss. 448 00:19:02,772 --> 00:19:04,442 Shannon called me that day, and she was like, 449 00:19:04,575 --> 00:19:06,109 "They want to throw me through this table with 450 00:19:06,244 --> 00:19:07,944 thumbtacks and barbed wire." And she goes, 451 00:19:08,045 --> 00:19:10,280 "I don't really know if I feel comfortable." 452 00:19:10,381 --> 00:19:12,983 I do remember the move being discussed... 453 00:19:13,116 --> 00:19:15,586 and Daffney wanted to do it, 454 00:19:15,686 --> 00:19:17,821 and felt like she could do it. 455 00:19:17,922 --> 00:19:22,259 It's just there's very little room for error. 456 00:19:22,326 --> 00:19:23,627 That's Daffney! 457 00:19:23,729 --> 00:19:26,064 Looking back, we wish we had... 458 00:19:26,164 --> 00:19:28,666 made a different call. 459 00:19:28,798 --> 00:19:29,601 [cheering] 460 00:19:29,700 --> 00:19:30,935 Oh! Oh my God! 461 00:19:31,001 --> 00:19:33,003 No, no! Oh! 462 00:19:33,105 --> 00:19:35,307 Daffney gets choke slammed! 463 00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:37,643 The table broke and she landed on her head. 464 00:19:37,775 --> 00:19:40,144 It wasn't any of the wrestlers in the matches fault. 465 00:19:40,278 --> 00:19:41,747 It was as safe as you can make it, 466 00:19:41,813 --> 00:19:44,348 but it was the actual fall. 467 00:19:44,481 --> 00:19:46,919 And then the concrete floor. 468 00:19:47,019 --> 00:19:49,688 I remember watching on the monitor... 469 00:19:49,788 --> 00:19:52,656 and I just ran straight to medical, 470 00:19:52,757 --> 00:19:56,994 and I was waiting for her to be brought backstage. 471 00:19:57,127 --> 00:19:59,195 They dragged her to another room, 472 00:19:59,330 --> 00:20:01,165 closed the door, and they pushed us all away. 473 00:20:01,298 --> 00:20:04,536 It was maybe 20, 30 minutes after the match 474 00:20:04,669 --> 00:20:07,837 when we realized how serious it was. 475 00:20:07,940 --> 00:20:10,375 Daffney had broken her arm as well. 476 00:20:10,508 --> 00:20:11,876 [groaning] 477 00:20:12,009 --> 00:20:13,611 I just remember the whispering 478 00:20:13,678 --> 00:20:15,445 about concussions... 479 00:20:15,546 --> 00:20:18,016 and that she hit her head really hard, 480 00:20:18,115 --> 00:20:20,151 and that she wasn't okay. 481 00:20:20,251 --> 00:20:23,521 She, I believe she had no memory of where 482 00:20:23,653 --> 00:20:26,057 she was and what had just happened. 483 00:20:26,190 --> 00:20:29,859 It was sad to see that someone who had 484 00:20:29,961 --> 00:20:33,196 so much potential, and was realizing that potential, 485 00:20:33,332 --> 00:20:36,534 had been sidelined for this injury. 486 00:20:36,667 --> 00:20:38,803 And for it to be an injury 487 00:20:38,903 --> 00:20:41,640 that turned out to be so consequential, 488 00:20:41,739 --> 00:20:44,142 to this day, I feel terrible about it. 489 00:20:44,240 --> 00:20:46,044 ♪ 490 00:20:46,144 --> 00:20:48,480 Just months after suffering a broken arm and 491 00:20:48,579 --> 00:20:49,980 serious head trauma, 492 00:20:50,082 --> 00:20:52,717 Shannon returns to the TNA ring, 493 00:20:52,817 --> 00:20:56,188 desperate not to lose her spot on the roster. 494 00:20:56,288 --> 00:20:58,422 The doctor told her she shouldn't ever get 495 00:20:58,557 --> 00:21:00,392 back in the ring again at that point. 496 00:21:00,490 --> 00:21:02,026 And she was like, "Well, this is my life. 497 00:21:02,126 --> 00:21:04,328 I have to." 498 00:21:04,395 --> 00:21:06,330 Knowing Daffney, she wouldn't want anyone 499 00:21:06,397 --> 00:21:08,566 to know how injured she was. 500 00:21:08,699 --> 00:21:09,667 When it comes to wrestling, 501 00:21:09,733 --> 00:21:12,871 like there's not a lot of room to be injured. 502 00:21:12,938 --> 00:21:15,940 There's always someone younger, hungrier, 503 00:21:16,073 --> 00:21:17,741 more talented, better looking, 504 00:21:17,842 --> 00:21:21,078 waiting to take your spot. 505 00:21:21,178 --> 00:21:23,713 I think there's a difference between... 506 00:21:23,780 --> 00:21:25,349 "cleared"... 507 00:21:25,449 --> 00:21:27,718 and cleared. 508 00:21:27,786 --> 00:21:29,186 Why'd she do it? 509 00:21:29,252 --> 00:21:32,057 The same reason we would all do that, 510 00:21:32,124 --> 00:21:34,924 and that's because you want to further your career. 511 00:21:35,059 --> 00:21:37,260 You want to continue to become more valuable 512 00:21:37,395 --> 00:21:39,096 in the wrestling business. 513 00:21:39,195 --> 00:21:41,398 It's a shame, but we all do it. 514 00:21:41,464 --> 00:21:43,602 Months after her debilitating injuries, 515 00:21:43,733 --> 00:21:47,439 Shannon takes on newcomer, Rosie Lottalove. 516 00:21:47,570 --> 00:21:49,272 Rosie was a larger woman. 517 00:21:49,406 --> 00:21:51,809 She has a very, very strong offense. 518 00:21:51,942 --> 00:21:54,246 She had Daffney in between her legs, 519 00:21:54,311 --> 00:21:56,480 and then basically just sits down on her, 520 00:21:56,580 --> 00:21:58,048 right on her chest, bam. 521 00:21:58,148 --> 00:22:00,451 ♪ 522 00:22:00,585 --> 00:22:02,720 She literally landed on her, 523 00:22:02,819 --> 00:22:04,654 and it hurt her sternum. 524 00:22:21,472 --> 00:22:23,606 The wrestlers at TNA were mostly very supportive 525 00:22:23,673 --> 00:22:25,608 and checking in on her. 526 00:22:25,710 --> 00:22:28,346 The company as a whole at that time... 527 00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:29,980 there was a whole lawsuit about it. 528 00:22:30,082 --> 00:22:31,481 They weren't... 529 00:22:31,615 --> 00:22:33,651 taking care of her medical bills, 530 00:22:33,751 --> 00:22:36,653 and they weren't doing follow up care for her. 531 00:22:36,753 --> 00:22:40,657 I chose to file a worker's comp claim... 532 00:22:40,758 --> 00:22:44,028 to try to prove in a court of law 533 00:22:44,127 --> 00:22:47,499 that wrestlers are not independent contractors, 534 00:22:47,598 --> 00:22:49,467 we're employees. 535 00:22:49,567 --> 00:22:52,169 And I just feel like at least what they can do is 536 00:22:52,303 --> 00:22:54,972 if you get injured in their ring, 537 00:22:55,039 --> 00:22:56,641 they should pay for it. 538 00:22:56,740 --> 00:22:58,275 She settled... 539 00:22:58,342 --> 00:23:00,344 for money. 540 00:23:00,443 --> 00:23:04,182 I know that part of her settlement, at least, was... 541 00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:07,384 they gave her like a thousand of her action figures, 542 00:23:07,484 --> 00:23:11,123 which is seems like such a crock of crap to me. 543 00:23:11,222 --> 00:23:14,558 This girl had a near-death experience, basically, 544 00:23:14,692 --> 00:23:17,162 for your company, and the best you can do is, 545 00:23:17,260 --> 00:23:19,864 "Hey, why don't you go make your own money hawking 546 00:23:19,963 --> 00:23:22,199 your merchandise at an independent show." 547 00:23:22,334 --> 00:23:23,701 So wild. 548 00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:25,135 They've got concussion protocols now that 549 00:23:25,202 --> 00:23:26,737 they did not have back then. 550 00:23:26,836 --> 00:23:28,205 So a lot of those changes were brought about 551 00:23:28,305 --> 00:23:30,574 by wrestlers like Daffney. 552 00:23:30,673 --> 00:23:34,078 She really kind of broke a barrier there for us. 553 00:23:34,211 --> 00:23:36,847 But following two major injuries, 554 00:23:36,914 --> 00:23:40,151 Shannon's recovery is slower than expected, 555 00:23:40,217 --> 00:23:43,220 and the toll on her body is starting to show. 556 00:23:43,355 --> 00:23:45,723 It wasn't an option to take the time off. 557 00:23:45,823 --> 00:23:47,893 But she was kind of forced into it. 558 00:23:47,991 --> 00:23:50,162 We say that we have a bump card. 559 00:23:50,260 --> 00:23:51,730 That's what we call it. 560 00:23:51,829 --> 00:23:53,432 There's only so many bumps you can take in your life 561 00:23:53,530 --> 00:23:56,101 before your body says, "Yeah, no more of this." 562 00:23:56,601 --> 00:23:58,736 I've got a long way to go. Right? 563 00:23:58,836 --> 00:24:03,740 I see a light at the end of the tunnel and... 564 00:24:03,840 --> 00:24:05,576 I see... 565 00:24:05,675 --> 00:24:06,943 I'm gonna cry. 566 00:24:07,077 --> 00:24:09,279 I just, I see hope. 567 00:24:09,413 --> 00:24:12,383 And, um, it's really awesome. 568 00:24:12,450 --> 00:24:14,853 I think for a while there's gonna be some things 569 00:24:14,952 --> 00:24:17,454 I'm gonna have to push through. 570 00:24:17,555 --> 00:24:21,792 I do remember her going into, like, a deep depression. 571 00:24:21,893 --> 00:24:25,095 I think whatever it did to her brain, it was not good, 572 00:24:25,195 --> 00:24:27,530 and she went severely negative 573 00:24:27,631 --> 00:24:29,633 for a while after that. 574 00:24:29,768 --> 00:24:32,436 Some of you may have noticed 575 00:24:32,537 --> 00:24:34,738 a little bit of a change in my attitude... 576 00:24:34,838 --> 00:24:35,940 No! 577 00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:38,241 But a lot of people don't realize, with concussions, 578 00:24:38,309 --> 00:24:41,645 if you have bipolar disorder, it's going to amplify it or 579 00:24:41,746 --> 00:24:45,481 trigger it, and she was struggling with that. 580 00:24:45,615 --> 00:24:47,718 There was a shift... 581 00:24:47,786 --> 00:24:49,920 in her personality. 582 00:24:50,020 --> 00:24:51,722 Trauma changes people. 583 00:24:51,821 --> 00:24:54,325 It changes your brain chemistry. 584 00:24:54,459 --> 00:24:56,626 That's just an uphill battle. 585 00:24:56,728 --> 00:24:59,497 And Daffney hard into the steel barricade! 586 00:25:11,977 --> 00:25:14,144 [cheering] 587 00:25:20,884 --> 00:25:24,189 By 2011, injuries force Shannon to make 588 00:25:24,320 --> 00:25:26,923 a decision about the future of her career. 589 00:25:27,023 --> 00:25:29,692 All these injuries took a toll on her. 590 00:25:29,794 --> 00:25:31,829 Like, I think she had headaches for months. 591 00:25:31,961 --> 00:25:33,832 That was the beginning of the end for her, 592 00:25:33,932 --> 00:25:36,166 as far as, like, in-ring performer. 593 00:25:36,299 --> 00:25:38,269 We kind of put a foot down towards the end, 594 00:25:38,369 --> 00:25:41,272 that especially after the concussions, 595 00:25:41,373 --> 00:25:44,041 that she just did not need to go into the ring. 596 00:25:44,173 --> 00:25:45,876 And she agreed. 597 00:25:45,977 --> 00:25:48,011 When you're a wrestler and you can't wrestle... 598 00:25:48,145 --> 00:25:49,814 there goes your paycheck. 599 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:52,182 So, she was always trying to figure out 600 00:25:52,282 --> 00:25:54,184 what the next hustle was going to be for her. 601 00:25:54,317 --> 00:25:57,188 You're also going to be getting a match or two. 602 00:25:57,288 --> 00:25:59,190 Luckily, she had a really great fan base. 603 00:25:59,290 --> 00:26:01,893 She would be online trying to sell her 8x10s 604 00:26:01,991 --> 00:26:03,027 and her t-shirts. 605 00:26:03,161 --> 00:26:04,895 W-C-dub. 606 00:26:05,028 --> 00:26:06,462 She was doing appearances. 607 00:26:06,564 --> 00:26:08,165 She would pop up here and there, 608 00:26:08,266 --> 00:26:10,167 and do autograph signings at conventions, 609 00:26:10,268 --> 00:26:14,505 and she was producing for Shine, down in Florida. 610 00:26:14,570 --> 00:26:18,342 The Iron Maiden! 611 00:26:18,409 --> 00:26:19,843 Finding new purpose, 612 00:26:19,943 --> 00:26:21,878 Shannon teams up with other female 613 00:26:22,011 --> 00:26:25,916 wrestlers to fight the stigma of bipolar disorder. 614 00:26:26,017 --> 00:26:28,419 I think people don't really realize that for 615 00:26:28,551 --> 00:26:31,755 ten years now, I've had a chemical imbalance. 616 00:26:31,855 --> 00:26:34,490 I take medication twice a day and it's something that, 617 00:26:34,592 --> 00:26:38,261 every day, like it's a real thing, as opposed to, 618 00:26:38,362 --> 00:26:40,730 you know, it's just me acting crazy as a gimmick. 619 00:26:40,832 --> 00:26:44,401 We banded together as sisters- 620 00:26:44,501 --> 00:26:46,938 me, Daffney, Kimberly, and Amber Gardner 621 00:26:47,070 --> 00:26:49,772 and got our bipolar disorder awareness tattoos. 622 00:26:49,906 --> 00:26:53,277 It's a colon, a parenthesis, and another colon, 623 00:26:53,411 --> 00:26:55,546 so it's like happy and sad. 624 00:26:55,646 --> 00:26:58,281 So, for depression and mania. 625 00:26:58,415 --> 00:27:01,619 And, it gives me a reason to talk about bipolar disorder. 626 00:27:01,719 --> 00:27:05,422 And that had been the theme of our sisterhood. 627 00:27:05,557 --> 00:27:07,791 She was always there to be the rock for everybody else, 628 00:27:07,924 --> 00:27:10,561 And I think a lot of people find it hard to comprehend, 629 00:27:10,662 --> 00:27:12,962 you know, that she was suffering, too. 630 00:27:13,097 --> 00:27:15,865 She would have times when she was getting ready to go to 631 00:27:15,933 --> 00:27:19,303 the grocery store, she'd get out in the car... 632 00:27:19,436 --> 00:27:21,538 and can't remember where she's going. 633 00:27:21,605 --> 00:27:23,141 She would do some refereeing, 634 00:27:23,272 --> 00:27:25,542 and even that was giving her issues, 635 00:27:25,643 --> 00:27:27,944 like she'd go down to make a count and 636 00:27:28,045 --> 00:27:30,749 she was getting dizzy spells, a lot of vertigo. 637 00:27:30,848 --> 00:27:33,450 Those concussions were just killing her. 638 00:27:33,585 --> 00:27:36,220 She's like, "When I die, I want my brain to go to 639 00:27:36,319 --> 00:27:38,789 science so they can research... 640 00:27:38,922 --> 00:27:42,727 what's going on with me and hopefully help people." 641 00:27:42,826 --> 00:27:44,627 She had already filled out all the paperwork with 642 00:27:44,761 --> 00:27:48,798 a Boston CTE hospital to have her brain donated. 643 00:27:48,932 --> 00:27:51,501 She decided she needed to make a big change because 644 00:27:51,603 --> 00:27:53,636 I think being around the business, 645 00:27:53,771 --> 00:27:57,740 not being able to wrestle, was causing her depression. 646 00:27:57,840 --> 00:28:00,678 And, so she opted to leave. 647 00:28:00,811 --> 00:28:04,114 For Daffney, losing wrestling was like losing the, 648 00:28:04,213 --> 00:28:05,916 the love of her life. 649 00:28:06,017 --> 00:28:07,751 [chanting] Daffney! Daffney! 650 00:28:07,852 --> 00:28:09,453 I miss being in the ring. 651 00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:10,855 [chanting] Daffney! Daffney! 652 00:28:10,988 --> 00:28:13,523 This is where my heart is, at least... 653 00:28:13,656 --> 00:28:15,460 is in this business. 654 00:28:18,194 --> 00:28:20,164 Definitely. 655 00:28:20,297 --> 00:28:24,435 Shannon, just like many professional wrestlers, 656 00:28:24,536 --> 00:28:26,002 when that run is over, 657 00:28:26,104 --> 00:28:30,141 don't know how to become regular people. 658 00:28:30,208 --> 00:28:33,876 How do we exist outside of that spotlight? 659 00:28:33,978 --> 00:28:37,815 All of us have some kind of struggle like that. 660 00:28:37,915 --> 00:28:39,851 She was big into self-medication 661 00:28:39,950 --> 00:28:41,618 for a long time. 662 00:28:41,718 --> 00:28:43,220 It's a Band-Aid that... 663 00:28:43,319 --> 00:28:45,690 you can put on a situation for a little bit, you know. 664 00:28:45,823 --> 00:28:47,523 She has a couple drinks, she's feeling good, 665 00:28:47,625 --> 00:28:49,728 everything's fine, and then it all kind of 666 00:28:49,827 --> 00:28:52,028 tumbles downhill after that. 667 00:28:52,128 --> 00:28:53,529 She got in a car accident. 668 00:28:53,664 --> 00:28:55,865 And then she got in another car accident. 669 00:28:55,965 --> 00:28:57,567 And... 670 00:28:57,701 --> 00:28:59,169 she had to go to rehab... 671 00:28:59,269 --> 00:29:01,838 because it was court ordered. 672 00:29:01,940 --> 00:29:05,542 The night before she was gonna go into rehab, ah... 673 00:29:05,675 --> 00:29:08,045 she.... 674 00:29:08,145 --> 00:29:11,249 contemplated committing suicide. 675 00:29:11,381 --> 00:29:13,383 I made her promise to always call me. 676 00:29:13,518 --> 00:29:16,319 And so that's why she called me that night. 677 00:29:16,420 --> 00:29:18,387 And I took her to rehab the next day. 678 00:29:18,522 --> 00:29:20,656 Every day I was, I felt like I was having to 679 00:29:20,724 --> 00:29:23,060 talk her off a ledge for a while there. 680 00:29:23,161 --> 00:29:26,163 Bipolar disorder, like, makes... 681 00:29:26,262 --> 00:29:28,500 the bad stuff seem... 682 00:29:28,565 --> 00:29:30,032 SO bad. 683 00:29:30,101 --> 00:29:31,201 I can't wrestle. 684 00:29:31,300 --> 00:29:32,736 I haven't wrestled since 2010. 685 00:29:32,836 --> 00:29:36,039 She really struggled with her self-image. 686 00:29:36,141 --> 00:29:38,842 With medication, she was gaining weight, 687 00:29:38,942 --> 00:29:41,078 so she was getting really depressed about that. 688 00:29:41,211 --> 00:29:42,512 That's a really big problem, 689 00:29:42,579 --> 00:29:44,749 I think in entertainment for all women. 690 00:29:44,882 --> 00:29:47,451 Beauty and thinness is a currency. 691 00:29:47,550 --> 00:29:49,186 The fans that she was... 692 00:29:49,287 --> 00:29:51,189 so enthralled with and loved, 693 00:29:51,288 --> 00:29:52,690 a lot of them started writing 694 00:29:52,789 --> 00:29:54,224 some negative stuff about her. 695 00:29:54,291 --> 00:29:57,060 Someone said I look like Ozzy Osborne 696 00:29:57,126 --> 00:29:59,596 and Roseanne had a, had a kid. 697 00:29:59,695 --> 00:30:00,765 Ha! 698 00:30:00,864 --> 00:30:01,833 The internet can be cruel, 699 00:30:01,932 --> 00:30:06,236 and it was really causing her mental anguish. 700 00:30:06,336 --> 00:30:09,440 She was having a lot of physical issues. 701 00:30:09,540 --> 00:30:12,042 She got diagnosed with a thyroid issue, 702 00:30:12,143 --> 00:30:14,479 and she was having all these menopausal symptoms, 703 00:30:14,611 --> 00:30:16,779 which makes your bipolar meds not work. 704 00:30:16,914 --> 00:30:18,981 I felt guilt for too long! 705 00:30:19,115 --> 00:30:20,717 She was going through a lot of things 706 00:30:20,784 --> 00:30:24,622 that would kind of beat anyone down. 707 00:30:24,755 --> 00:30:26,124 So then Covid hit. 708 00:30:26,223 --> 00:30:28,792 Then she was even more isolated. 709 00:30:28,925 --> 00:30:31,496 She would say things like, like... 710 00:30:31,627 --> 00:30:33,963 Like, "I'm so alone, I don't have anybody." And I'm like, 711 00:30:34,097 --> 00:30:37,769 "Oh my gosh, girl, you have so many people." 712 00:30:37,868 --> 00:30:40,002 We always had plans... 713 00:30:40,136 --> 00:30:42,440 about what we're gonna do... 714 00:30:42,539 --> 00:30:45,809 to get her out of the situation that she was in. 715 00:30:45,909 --> 00:30:48,813 She had a new apartment, she had a new job, 716 00:30:48,945 --> 00:30:51,249 and she was going back to school. 717 00:30:51,348 --> 00:30:53,317 I talked to her that morning. 718 00:30:53,417 --> 00:30:55,118 And... 719 00:30:55,219 --> 00:30:57,587 everything seemed to be fine. 720 00:30:58,122 --> 00:31:01,490 And then, that's when the Instagram moment happened. 721 00:31:08,798 --> 00:31:12,103 On the evening of September 1st, 2021, 722 00:31:12,169 --> 00:31:14,503 Shannon goes live on Instagram. 723 00:31:14,637 --> 00:31:16,006 [phone vibrating] 724 00:31:16,105 --> 00:31:19,108 I wasn't even really familiar with Instagram Live. 725 00:31:19,210 --> 00:31:21,510 ♪ 726 00:31:21,645 --> 00:31:24,348 But I just saw that bubble pop up 727 00:31:24,448 --> 00:31:27,352 and it was Daff, and I thought, oh! 728 00:31:27,483 --> 00:31:29,854 And... 729 00:31:29,987 --> 00:31:31,555 just... 730 00:31:31,689 --> 00:31:34,558 basically talking her suicide note. 731 00:31:36,493 --> 00:31:40,498 She stole her former roommate's gun. 732 00:31:40,565 --> 00:31:41,397 She was saying, 733 00:31:41,530 --> 00:31:43,032 "You guys gotta take care of your brain, 734 00:31:43,166 --> 00:31:45,036 take care of your brain." And she would say, 735 00:31:45,134 --> 00:31:47,904 "Take my brain to Boston, take my brain to Boston." 736 00:31:48,005 --> 00:31:50,173 And I knew that it was a lot more serious... 737 00:31:50,273 --> 00:31:53,210 than I had initially thought. 738 00:31:53,343 --> 00:31:56,146 I've been a firefighter for ten years, and... 739 00:31:56,212 --> 00:31:58,682 I deal with people that are in crisis 740 00:31:58,750 --> 00:32:00,417 every time I go to work. 741 00:32:00,549 --> 00:32:02,919 And, um... 742 00:32:03,053 --> 00:32:05,522 She was just, ah, she was in crisis. 743 00:32:05,588 --> 00:32:07,392 She needed help. 744 00:32:07,490 --> 00:32:12,230 I saw maybe about 10, 20 seconds of, of it and... 745 00:32:12,329 --> 00:32:15,365 got up, and got dressed, and was- getting- 746 00:32:15,464 --> 00:32:16,566 calling my dad, saying, 747 00:32:16,667 --> 00:32:18,536 "Alright, hey, we need to go to Atlanta." 748 00:32:18,634 --> 00:32:20,237 ♪ 749 00:32:20,371 --> 00:32:23,374 All of a sudden, I started getting... 750 00:32:23,440 --> 00:32:25,442 a ton of text messages. 751 00:32:25,542 --> 00:32:27,009 [phone vibrating] 752 00:32:27,109 --> 00:32:29,413 When I logged on and she saw my name... 753 00:32:29,512 --> 00:32:30,547 She said, "I'm sorry." 754 00:32:30,647 --> 00:32:33,917 She goes, "I'm gonna break my promise." 755 00:32:34,018 --> 00:32:36,553 [phone ringing] 756 00:32:36,621 --> 00:32:41,424 I immediately went and called the police up there. 757 00:32:41,525 --> 00:32:44,260 I'm commenting, saying, "Daff, I love you." 758 00:32:44,394 --> 00:32:46,596 And then I'm seeing all the wrestlers I know. 759 00:32:46,696 --> 00:32:48,098 They're all logging in, they're all saying 760 00:32:48,230 --> 00:32:50,733 the same thing, you know, "Call me." 761 00:32:50,835 --> 00:32:53,737 I went to my cell phone and... 762 00:32:53,836 --> 00:32:56,073 started calling her... 763 00:32:56,173 --> 00:32:59,108 over and over and over again. 764 00:32:59,241 --> 00:33:01,578 I just kept getting, the voicemail was full. 765 00:33:01,678 --> 00:33:03,146 The voicemail was full. 766 00:33:03,279 --> 00:33:05,249 I tried calling her. 767 00:33:05,315 --> 00:33:08,118 And...I, I... 768 00:33:08,218 --> 00:33:10,288 [Exhaling sharply] Hoo! 769 00:33:10,386 --> 00:33:12,957 [voice cracking] Calling her and texting her. 770 00:33:13,057 --> 00:33:14,590 And I just knew that if I could get a hold of her, 771 00:33:14,691 --> 00:33:15,960 if I can get her to text me back, 772 00:33:16,059 --> 00:33:16,926 if I could get her on the phone, 773 00:33:17,027 --> 00:33:18,428 then I could make sure everything's okay, 774 00:33:18,528 --> 00:33:19,930 she would listen to me. 775 00:33:20,029 --> 00:33:22,599 I- [sighing] ----. 776 00:33:22,699 --> 00:33:23,967 [sniffling] 777 00:33:24,102 --> 00:33:26,903 But she wouldn't answer her phone. 778 00:33:27,002 --> 00:33:28,838 And then it went black. 779 00:33:30,740 --> 00:33:34,144 And, I was just left staring at my phone, 780 00:33:34,244 --> 00:33:37,515 not knowing what I had actually witnessed. 781 00:33:37,647 --> 00:33:38,647 Knowing what I had witnessed, 782 00:33:38,781 --> 00:33:41,618 but my brain was not allowing me... 783 00:33:41,718 --> 00:33:43,920 to process. Um... 784 00:33:44,021 --> 00:33:45,922 ♪ 785 00:33:46,022 --> 00:33:47,324 When me and my dad got there, 786 00:33:47,458 --> 00:33:48,858 my mom was already there, 787 00:33:48,960 --> 00:33:50,327 knocking on the door, and of course, 788 00:33:50,460 --> 00:33:52,028 there's no answer. 789 00:33:52,163 --> 00:33:53,330 We had to call the fire department in 790 00:33:53,430 --> 00:33:56,298 to come and knock down the door. 791 00:33:56,365 --> 00:33:57,602 I was on the phone with her mom 792 00:33:57,701 --> 00:33:59,369 when they finally broke in. 793 00:33:59,469 --> 00:34:00,503 ♪ 794 00:34:00,636 --> 00:34:02,874 It was, it was... 795 00:34:03,006 --> 00:34:06,309 it was the worst night ever. 796 00:34:06,376 --> 00:34:08,445 I was just waiting on the news. 797 00:34:08,545 --> 00:34:10,679 ♪ 798 00:34:10,780 --> 00:34:14,483 And then when it arrived, it wasn't, it wasn't good. 799 00:34:14,585 --> 00:34:17,188 Fire department came down and... 800 00:34:17,320 --> 00:34:20,391 said they were sorry, but that she had passed, and... 801 00:34:20,525 --> 00:34:22,559 my dad was on my left, and my mom was 802 00:34:22,692 --> 00:34:24,728 on the right, and they both kind of... 803 00:34:24,860 --> 00:34:26,862 knees buckled and... 804 00:34:26,963 --> 00:34:28,231 I grabbed them, and then one of the officers 805 00:34:28,331 --> 00:34:31,369 helped me grab 'em, and... 806 00:34:31,467 --> 00:34:34,204 it didn't really dawn on me that this time she had, 807 00:34:34,304 --> 00:34:36,641 she had done it. 808 00:34:36,739 --> 00:34:39,074 I talked to her that morning. 809 00:34:39,210 --> 00:34:43,815 And I felt like if I had a chance to talk to her again... 810 00:34:43,914 --> 00:34:46,317 we could have talked it out. 811 00:34:46,416 --> 00:34:48,686 I didn't get a chance... 812 00:34:48,753 --> 00:34:50,855 to talk her out of it. 813 00:34:50,954 --> 00:34:55,257 I like to believe if she knew how much it hurt me... 814 00:34:55,393 --> 00:34:58,195 she wouldn't have done it. 815 00:34:58,260 --> 00:35:01,766 Even though your brain might be telling you that... 816 00:35:01,898 --> 00:35:05,235 suicide is the only way... 817 00:35:05,335 --> 00:35:08,940 and that you don't think you're worth it... 818 00:35:09,072 --> 00:35:12,376 the hole that you leave... 819 00:35:12,476 --> 00:35:14,677 is, it's, it's too much. 820 00:35:14,777 --> 00:35:17,914 It's too much to fill. 821 00:35:18,014 --> 00:35:19,882 I was mad at her... 822 00:35:19,983 --> 00:35:22,753 because of my daughter. 823 00:35:22,885 --> 00:35:25,456 My daughter knew her as Aunt Shannon. 824 00:35:25,554 --> 00:35:27,458 How dare she do this to my daughter. 825 00:35:27,590 --> 00:35:29,592 How dare she take Aunt Shannon away. 826 00:35:29,726 --> 00:35:31,728 How dare she take my friend away. 827 00:35:31,829 --> 00:35:33,797 ♪ 828 00:35:33,929 --> 00:35:35,465 I'm driving down the road.... 829 00:35:35,599 --> 00:35:36,800 I'm supposed to be chipper. 830 00:35:36,934 --> 00:35:37,835 I'm supposed to go to shows. 831 00:35:37,934 --> 00:35:39,802 I'm supposed to shake everybody's hand and, 832 00:35:39,936 --> 00:35:43,273 meanwhile, this person that meant the world to me 833 00:35:43,405 --> 00:35:45,775 for, for years... 834 00:35:45,909 --> 00:35:48,378 is gone. 835 00:35:48,478 --> 00:35:51,780 Shannon, you were an incredible friend. 836 00:35:51,916 --> 00:35:53,617 I just wish... 837 00:35:53,717 --> 00:35:55,786 you felt comfortable enough to... 838 00:35:55,885 --> 00:35:58,956 reach out and talk about the things that were 839 00:35:59,054 --> 00:36:02,793 bothering you, and I just wish you were still here now. 840 00:36:02,925 --> 00:36:05,262 Could be really difficult... 841 00:36:05,362 --> 00:36:08,965 for Daffney to know how loved she was. 842 00:36:09,099 --> 00:36:13,302 And so unfortunate that she felt all alone. 843 00:36:13,402 --> 00:36:15,106 That's why I encourage people to reach out 844 00:36:15,206 --> 00:36:17,072 and reach out to their friends. 845 00:36:17,141 --> 00:36:20,177 That's what we're here for. 846 00:36:20,311 --> 00:36:24,181 She was in a very dark place, 847 00:36:24,280 --> 00:36:26,817 and it was very real to her. 848 00:36:26,949 --> 00:36:31,188 And that's what mental illness and CTE can look like. 849 00:36:31,289 --> 00:36:32,822 It's like a veil. 850 00:36:32,956 --> 00:36:34,657 She believed she had CTE, 851 00:36:34,791 --> 00:36:37,693 and she wasn't going to let it be in vain. 852 00:36:46,871 --> 00:36:50,005 God, that is her second grade? 853 00:36:50,141 --> 00:36:51,942 Yeah, something like that. 854 00:36:52,007 --> 00:36:53,677 Fountain, Illinois. 855 00:36:53,777 --> 00:36:58,614 And, that was, I believe, her second grade picture. 856 00:36:58,715 --> 00:37:02,018 She made an agreement with the University of Boston 857 00:37:02,119 --> 00:37:04,855 that she was gonna donate her brain 858 00:37:04,956 --> 00:37:07,291 for research... 859 00:37:07,391 --> 00:37:09,259 and made me promise... 860 00:37:09,358 --> 00:37:12,295 that I would make sure that that happened. 861 00:37:12,396 --> 00:37:13,396 Shannon was going to be 862 00:37:13,530 --> 00:37:18,001 the first female brain in their study. 863 00:37:18,101 --> 00:37:21,038 They say that there was CTE, but they don't know 864 00:37:21,137 --> 00:37:25,240 how much and to what extent that it was. 865 00:37:25,342 --> 00:37:28,579 The biggest thing for Daffney, in her death, 866 00:37:28,677 --> 00:37:30,648 was that she wanted to bring 867 00:37:30,748 --> 00:37:34,217 focus into CTE and to... 868 00:37:34,317 --> 00:37:37,052 what concussions long term do. 869 00:37:37,188 --> 00:37:40,858 And when you're willing to do anything for wrestling... 870 00:37:40,958 --> 00:37:43,059 ♪ 871 00:37:43,159 --> 00:37:44,427 ...what can happen to you. 872 00:37:44,561 --> 00:37:46,195 We really need to listen to her message 873 00:37:46,262 --> 00:37:48,431 about taking care of your brain. 874 00:37:48,565 --> 00:37:50,601 As a wrestler with bipolar disorder... 875 00:37:50,733 --> 00:37:54,871 my brain health comes first. 876 00:37:54,971 --> 00:37:57,041 I saw what it did to Daffney. 877 00:37:57,141 --> 00:37:59,242 The best counselor in the world can't help anybody 878 00:37:59,376 --> 00:38:00,878 if they don't want to get better. 879 00:38:00,978 --> 00:38:02,679 Shannon did. 880 00:38:02,778 --> 00:38:04,179 And she worked at it. 881 00:38:04,280 --> 00:38:06,282 And we fought the good fight. 882 00:38:06,382 --> 00:38:07,951 She was never shy about talking about 883 00:38:08,085 --> 00:38:11,088 her bipolar disorder, so I think she'd be happy 884 00:38:11,188 --> 00:38:14,358 that we were being honest about it. 885 00:38:14,458 --> 00:38:15,759 While Shannon was still alive, 886 00:38:15,893 --> 00:38:17,961 she had started to do some charity work with 887 00:38:18,094 --> 00:38:19,362 a group called NAMI, 888 00:38:19,463 --> 00:38:21,197 which deals with mental illness. 889 00:38:21,297 --> 00:38:23,298 It's a great cause, and it's a cause that, 890 00:38:23,400 --> 00:38:26,436 that Shannon was already invested in. 891 00:38:26,536 --> 00:38:29,539 So, I feel like giving in her honour and 892 00:38:29,639 --> 00:38:31,775 in her name just keeps it going. 893 00:38:31,876 --> 00:38:34,777 She did a lot for basically everyone. 894 00:38:34,911 --> 00:38:38,481 [sniffling and sighing] It's time to repay. 895 00:38:39,750 --> 00:38:43,454 The outpouring of support and love 896 00:38:43,586 --> 00:38:45,456 made us realize even more 897 00:38:45,588 --> 00:38:49,960 how special of a of a person she is and was. 898 00:38:50,061 --> 00:38:52,429 I really don't think you'll ever find anybody in the 899 00:38:52,496 --> 00:38:53,898 wrestling business that could 900 00:38:53,998 --> 00:38:57,067 say a bad word about Daffney, 901 00:38:57,168 --> 00:38:59,603 especially if you met her personally. 902 00:38:59,704 --> 00:39:05,342 There was not a more giving performer... 903 00:39:05,476 --> 00:39:09,813 to her fans than Shannon. 904 00:39:09,945 --> 00:39:11,315 Daffney. 905 00:39:11,414 --> 00:39:14,818 You look at Daffney as a great character. 906 00:39:14,918 --> 00:39:17,353 It was fun, it was different. 907 00:39:17,487 --> 00:39:19,655 But I think the match that epitomizes her as a 908 00:39:19,755 --> 00:39:22,025 human being is 909 00:39:22,157 --> 00:39:24,128 the match she had with Vickie Lyons. 910 00:39:24,228 --> 00:39:25,762 ♪ 911 00:39:25,862 --> 00:39:27,097 I was somewhere on the road, 912 00:39:27,197 --> 00:39:29,298 and it was 2 AM, 3 AM. 913 00:39:29,400 --> 00:39:32,001 I couldn't sleep, and I'm watching Forensic Files, 914 00:39:32,103 --> 00:39:35,672 and it's a story about a little girl who was run over 915 00:39:35,773 --> 00:39:38,608 in a parking lot, and the terrible ordeal 916 00:39:38,708 --> 00:39:41,545 that this child went through. 917 00:39:41,677 --> 00:39:46,016 I don't like how people make me feel. 918 00:39:46,115 --> 00:39:47,650 So it really touched my heart, 919 00:39:47,751 --> 00:39:49,853 and so I type in Vickie Lyons. 920 00:39:49,954 --> 00:39:52,356 And the first thing that comes up is "Vickie Lyons 921 00:39:52,489 --> 00:39:55,559 Daffney YouTube wrestling match." 922 00:39:55,692 --> 00:39:58,295 And I think no, there's, there's no way. 923 00:39:58,396 --> 00:40:00,063 ♪ 924 00:40:00,195 --> 00:40:02,297 Vickie Lyons had always wanted to be 925 00:40:02,400 --> 00:40:03,699 a professional wrestler. 926 00:40:03,833 --> 00:40:05,969 And Daffney was like, you know what? 927 00:40:06,068 --> 00:40:09,405 I'm gonna teach you and we're gonna have a match. 928 00:40:09,539 --> 00:40:12,409 She obviously had limited physical capabilities, 929 00:40:12,509 --> 00:40:14,711 but any time anyone would tell her, 930 00:40:14,811 --> 00:40:16,713 no, you can't do this, she would look you 931 00:40:16,813 --> 00:40:19,315 dead in the eyes and be like, yes, I can. 932 00:40:19,416 --> 00:40:22,686 This is Vickie Lyons! 933 00:40:22,786 --> 00:40:24,255 [cheering] 934 00:40:24,355 --> 00:40:26,054 What unfolds is like one of the most beautiful things 935 00:40:26,155 --> 00:40:28,391 I've ever seen in, in our sport, 936 00:40:28,525 --> 00:40:30,193 and I've been around a long time. 937 00:40:30,293 --> 00:40:32,496 Shannon knew how to make Vickie 938 00:40:32,594 --> 00:40:34,164 look like a star, and... 939 00:40:34,264 --> 00:40:36,266 she damn sure did it. 940 00:40:36,365 --> 00:40:38,668 That suplex, Daffney... 941 00:40:38,768 --> 00:40:40,503 gets rocked on that one. 942 00:40:40,603 --> 00:40:42,838 Daffney surprised Vickie 943 00:40:42,940 --> 00:40:44,775 by putting her over for a victory 944 00:40:44,907 --> 00:40:48,077 in her one match that she trained five years for. 945 00:40:48,211 --> 00:40:49,846 Trying to get the tights! Got 'em! 946 00:40:49,945 --> 00:40:52,047 [indistinct commentary] 947 00:40:52,148 --> 00:40:53,416 [cheering] 948 00:40:53,550 --> 00:40:55,786 In that match, I see everything that's good 949 00:40:55,920 --> 00:40:57,755 and right about professional wrestling. 950 00:40:57,855 --> 00:41:00,123 Vickie Lyons! 951 00:41:00,255 --> 00:41:02,126 [cheering] 952 00:41:02,257 --> 00:41:04,228 I think it was just as good for Shannon 953 00:41:04,327 --> 00:41:06,130 as it was for Vickie. 954 00:41:08,231 --> 00:41:10,567 It just showed you who, who she was as a person 955 00:41:10,668 --> 00:41:13,771 and what kind of a special heart she had. 956 00:41:13,871 --> 00:41:16,773 I knew that Shannon was liked and loved, 957 00:41:16,873 --> 00:41:20,311 but I did not realize how many people she had touched. 958 00:41:20,443 --> 00:41:23,445 That helped a lot. That helped a lot. 959 00:41:24,914 --> 00:41:28,117 Daffney's legacy is that... 960 00:41:28,217 --> 00:41:31,789 she taught female professional wrestlers 961 00:41:31,887 --> 00:41:34,990 how to be sisters, to love each other more, 962 00:41:35,090 --> 00:41:37,293 build each other up more, and to look after each other 963 00:41:37,393 --> 00:41:40,331 both inside and outside the ring. 964 00:41:40,429 --> 00:41:44,835 And David and I were the wrestlers of that crew. 965 00:41:44,967 --> 00:41:47,637 Without question, Daffney is the one 966 00:41:47,737 --> 00:41:49,940 that people remember the most. 967 00:41:50,039 --> 00:41:53,275 She oozed positivity. 968 00:41:53,342 --> 00:41:55,277 She was the ----ing greatest. 969 00:41:55,378 --> 00:41:56,579 ♪ 970 00:41:56,679 --> 00:41:59,148 Thank you for just leading by example. 971 00:41:59,282 --> 00:42:02,619 Thank you for being completely... 972 00:42:02,719 --> 00:42:03,987 an original. 973 00:42:04,088 --> 00:42:05,121 I'm not a religious person at all, 974 00:42:05,221 --> 00:42:08,490 but man, she always... 975 00:42:08,626 --> 00:42:10,126 always lets me know she's 976 00:42:10,193 --> 00:42:13,130 paying attention to me. 977 00:42:13,230 --> 00:42:15,864 I miss her every day. 978 00:42:15,965 --> 00:42:18,467 I love her more and more every day. 979 00:42:18,536 --> 00:42:21,804 I have made it my duty to... 980 00:42:21,871 --> 00:42:24,474 continue her advocacy 981 00:42:24,541 --> 00:42:26,643 for women in wrestling, 982 00:42:26,744 --> 00:42:28,344 women in entertainment, 983 00:42:28,478 --> 00:42:31,780 and for bipolar disorder patients. 984 00:42:31,880 --> 00:42:34,518 I will always talk about you, Daffney. 985 00:42:34,617 --> 00:42:36,853 Daffney is watching. She's always watching. 986 00:42:36,985 --> 00:42:41,692 She's influencing women's wrestling today and forever 987 00:42:41,824 --> 00:42:44,360 because that was the lasting effect she had. 988 00:42:44,460 --> 00:42:46,028 She's so missed. 989 00:42:46,163 --> 00:42:49,166 And I just want to say, thank you, Daffney. 990 00:42:49,266 --> 00:42:51,835 And we love you. And we miss you. 991 00:42:51,900 --> 00:42:54,670 And I hope you're proud of all of us. 992 00:42:54,737 --> 00:42:56,873 ♪ 993 00:42:57,005 --> 00:42:59,309 Shannon loved her fans. She loved her family. 994 00:42:59,409 --> 00:43:00,978 She loved her friends. 995 00:43:01,077 --> 00:43:02,713 She would always be there for you, 996 00:43:02,813 --> 00:43:04,648 if you needed her to. 997 00:43:04,748 --> 00:43:06,548 ♪ 998 00:43:06,684 --> 00:43:09,485 And that's what I would want people to remember. 999 00:43:09,585 --> 00:43:12,387 I love that girl, I tell ya. 1000 00:43:12,487 --> 00:43:14,358 We miss her. 1001 00:43:14,423 --> 00:43:16,492 And we love her. 1002 00:43:16,592 --> 00:43:18,728 ♪ 1003 00:43:18,829 --> 00:43:21,565 I always thought we were gonna be old and... 1004 00:43:21,697 --> 00:43:23,233 sitting in rocking chairs, laughing at jokes 1005 00:43:23,333 --> 00:43:24,701 that we didn't have to say anything 'cause 1006 00:43:24,800 --> 00:43:27,737 we'd just look at each other and start laughing. 1007 00:43:27,871 --> 00:43:29,873 And... 1008 00:43:29,974 --> 00:43:32,342 I hope, I hope I did a good job for you. 1009 00:43:32,442 --> 00:43:35,277 ♪ 1010 00:43:35,378 --> 00:43:37,414 I hope, I hope I did what you wanted. 1011 00:43:37,512 --> 00:43:41,117 I hope I did a good job for you, and... 1012 00:43:41,251 --> 00:43:44,355 and I miss you. [chuckling] 1013 00:43:44,454 --> 00:43:46,755 I miss you. 1014 00:43:46,856 --> 00:43:48,757 A lot.