Whisper To A Scream (WCW Magazine #63)
by Amy Bell

   While her Daffney Unger character is sick and twisted, the real-life
Shannon Spruill is a soccer nut who is pursuing a career in acting.

   Deafening laughter and earspliting shrieks resonate through the entire
arena. As the WCW audience searches for the source of the deranged cacophony,
their eyes fall upon an amazing sight: The chaotic uproar emerges from the
gaping mouth of a small young woman who doesn't seem capable of generating
such disruption. Donned in a tanktop bearing the word "Freak," her brown eyes
smeared and lips painted with gothic black makeup, the crazed nymph wildly
flings her hair as she chases after the object of her fatal attraction -
David Flair.

   Outside of WCW, Daffney Unger, better known to friends and family as
Shannon Spruill, usually wears on makeup, dresses in baggy clothes or jeans
and is mildly composed and pleasantly grounded. Spuill, who will turn 25 in
July, never thought she would become a WCW valet. She had dreams of a life
filled with cleats, goals and soccer balls.

   The daughter of an Air Force lieutenant colonel, Spruill was born in
Germany and moved around until her family settled in Georgia when she was in
seventh grade. She was a tomboy and began playing soccer when she was 5 years
old. Soccer kept Spruill sane throughout high school, a time she didn't enjoy
very much.

   "You couldn't pay me a million dollars to go back to high school," Spruill
says. "I was a different person back then. I kind of hung out with people who
weren't in school, the older crowd. I was the weirdo outsider chick. I
already had my tattoos, and I was a freak. That's why I like to wear the
shirt that says 'Freak' when I play Daffney."

   Soccer was the pinnacle of high school for Spruill, and she had hopes of
making a career out of the sport. Spruill made all-county in soccer as a
sophomore and sparked the interest of college recruiters. But her junior
year, the coach wouldn't let Spruill play her usual position of goalkeeper.
He started a freshman in her place and told Spruill she needed to play
another position because there weren't enough players. The first game of the
season, Spruill ripped all the tendons in her ankle while playing in the
field and was sidelined for two weeks.

   She returned to the team after physical therapy and still had a chance to
possibly earn a college scholarship. But the coach still refused to let her
play goalie. "He put me on the fleld again, and I ripped my tendons again. I
stormed off the field and didn't play soccer for three years," Spruill says.

   SpruilI now plays in three soccer leagues in addition to her full-time WCW
role. Although she desired to pursue soccer professionally, Spruill is happy
with her life. "It's OK, because soccer was obviously not in store for me. I
really did want to be a professional soccer player, but it just wasn't in the
cards."

   Spruill wandered down a very different path once she realized she would
not become a professional soccer player. As a child she also dreamed about
being an actress, and appeared in a couple of films. When she was 10, Spruill
had a small part in "Santa Claus the Movie" with Dudley Moore and John
Lithgow. "I only had one line; I played a little bratty kid. I used to always
get typecast as the brat" she says. Spruill also appeared in "Insignificance"
with Tony Curds as a featured extra.

   Although she had some experience in film, SpruilI realized the odds of
becoming a successful actress were slim. "I wanted to give it an honest go as
an actress, and if I couldn't make it I wanted to have something to fall back
on," Spruill says. She decided to major in film and video production at
Georgia State University. After she graduated, she worked as a production
coordinator for a year in Atlanta. She also worked behind the scenes on a few
independent films.

   When her agent sent a head-shot of the hopeful actress to WCW along with
a photo of the enormous Celtic knot tattoo on her back, Spruill's dreams of
acting began to materialize. WCW flew her to Milwaukee to audition for the
part of David Flair's stalker. Spruill was chosen for the part and was told
that her character would be on television for four to six weeks. "They wanted
to see how well I was received by the audience," she says. "As my character
kind of took off, they offered me a longer contract."

   Spruill has submerged herself in her character. "Daffney enjoys violence.
She has the crazy relationship with David. He is her everything, and she's
madly in love with him," she says. Although Spruill is naturally shy, she
easily transforms into Daffney as she changes into her costume. "When I'm
getting into my Daffney costume and putting on my makeup, I just kind of feel
crazy and goofy. I put on the boots and the fitted top. From there on, it's
kind of easy to act crazy," she says.

   Through her role as Daffney, Spruill not only has furthered her acting
career and gained exposure in the entertainment world, but she has learned a
few wrestling moves, as well. Occasionally Daffney will interrupt one of
Crowbar's or Flair's matches for a quick top rope Frankensteiner or a victory
roll. "Everything you've seen me do in the ring, it's been because of
Crowbar's encouragement," Spruill says. "He always tells me that I can do
anything, and he gets in the ring and teaches me. I've gotten help from some
other people like Mona and Shane Helms, but if it weren't for Crowbar, I
wouldn't do anything other than stand beside the ring and scream."

   Spruill says she doesn't see herself becoming a full-time wrestler,
though. "I like to run in and do one move to help the guys cheat and then get
out of there," she says. "As far as having a full-fledged wrestling match
with someone, I don't have enough experience to do that. It takes a lot of
hard work. Wrestlers are so dedicated, and what they do is hard. I can't come
in and learn that stuff overnight. I have the utmost respect for all the
women wrestlers because it's a hard job, and it's also hard to fit in with
the guys."

   An actress at heart, Spruill hopes to remain in the entertainment field
after her contract with WCW ends. "I'm ~st and foremost an actress, and I
want to be an actress," she says. "I want to try to develop Daffney as much
as I can and live out the length of my contract.T~en I would like to work in
film or TV. I would be happy in either medium. I already feel so fortunate to
say I get paid to act."

   Spruill takes her dedication to WCW beyond acting. She recognizes the
importance of connecting with her fans and plans on creating a website in
which she can interact with them. "The response I get when I play Daffney in
the ring is what encourages me to come up with more creative things," Spruill
says. "I'm working on creating a site that's linked to wcw.com. I want fans
to send in shirt ideas for Daffney's tanktops, or if they want to send me
things to sign, I'Il sign them. I think it's a great way to keep yourself
grounded and in touch with the fans."

   In addition to her proposed website and her developing role in WCW,
Spruill is experiencing the excitement of planning a wedding, as well. She
recently was engaged to Rich Moore, a member of the band Stuck Mojo. Spruill
met Moore at the Total Package's Main Event Fitness in Marietta, Georgia, and
they plan to be married in October.

   With all the excitement in Spruill's life, who could blame her for her
maniacal screams and laughter?