FUTURE SHOCK THERAPY: Season 11 Roundup

WHAT A SHOCKING ENDING TO THE SEASON!

Well, that was easily the most brutal match in FFW history. 

Couldn't really expect anything else from the Ultraviolence season, I suppose.  We knew someone was going to get hurt, and boy did we get it, as Lana Star was basically barbecued against the cage by Marla Lee's Dead Enders (close enough to them, at least).  Marla picked up the pin, Velvet Raven fought off her goons and revealed herself to be Natalya Demidov.  A suitably chaotic and violent ending to a chaotic and violent season. 

So, now what? 

Here's a look back at the Eleventh Season participants, and what's their outlook for their post-FS Careers. 


EIGHTH PLACE: FIONA O'DALEIGH
The fourteenth WillCorp employee to join FFW (or at least it seems like it), the WEATHER GIRL of WillCorp (?!) had very little of a splash in the Future Shock Season.  She had limited time in the opening tables match, which kills you when the votes dispersed over eight people.  Out of sight, out of mind, out of Future Shock.  

FFW SUCCESS PROGNOSIS: Very Low
Fiona didn't connect with the fans at all, and largely disappeared after her elimination.  With Todd & Jenny Williams both out of WillCorp, her job might be in jeopardy there too.  It's highly doubtful we'll ever see Fiona again. 



SEVENTH PLACE: HELGA
A former Opera Singer (and my former client), and a late-arrival to the season, Helga stunned everyone when she won the opening tables match challenge, came in second for dodge ball- then promptly was voted off.  Helga ranks up there with the worst in terms of attitude, expecting the world, despite having done little to earn it. 

FFW SUCCESS PROGNOSIS: None
With one last screaming tantrum, Helga waddled off into the sunset to take her prima donna bitch-face somewhere else.  She's burned her bridges here, and will likely not be welcomed back. 


SIXTH PLACE: KANNA HAROSHI 
A Japanese import with a barbed wire baseball bat, Kanna's was initially considered a top three contender.  However, she foolishly tried cutting a flight to LA a bit close, missed it, and missed a show, getting eliminated in that fashion. 

FFW SUCCESS PROGNOSIS: Medium-Low 
Kanna's got two strikes against her already: her aformentioned no-show and her involvement with the teeth-gratingly irritating Beauty and the Beasts  over in SVW (she's the... uh... 'beauty').  At this point, there's very little to separate her from the rest of the pack in the UV division.  She's got the strength and brutality to do so, but whether or not it actually happens remains to be seen. 

FIFTH PLACE: LEAH O'QUINN
Leah was... deaf.  That was pretty much the most that was revealed about her for much of the season, as we saw very little insight into the woman outside of her disability.  A last-ditch attempt didn't work too well, as Leah revealed she was a very competent speaker despite her disability (good!), but full of self-pity and entitlement that the fans should just vote for her because it would hurt her feelings if they didn't (uh.. not good).  Needless to say, that didn't work, and one post-elim temper tantrum later, Leah was gone. 

FFW SUCCESS PROGNOSIS: None
Like Helga, Leah pretty much burned her bridges with a post-elimination tantrum on Twitter, when she basically declared FFW and the fans didn't deserve her.  Considering the voting patterns, the fans agreed. FFW's too flushed with talent to want Leah and her rotten attitude back. 


FOURTH PLACE: LOLLIPOP
Lollipop never won a challenge, but God did she come close.  Setting herself apart with a blast of enthusiasm and sadistic giggling (not to mention the willingness to sacrifice her manager), Lollipop did well in both challenges and the voting.  But being jumped by *cough*Velvet Raven*cough* kept her from answering the bell in the cage match, and she was eliminated thusly.

FFW SUCCESS PROGNOSIS: Medium-High 
Lollipop will be the first Season 11 participant to appear in the ring, when she teams with fellow FS Alumni Arabella Black to form Chainsaw Lollipop at Breaking Point.  Not entirely sure if that's the best way to go- the tag division is loaded, but Lollipop's exuberance and vitality is going to carry her far.  I can see her picking up a title sometime down the road. 

THIRD PLACE: LANA STAR
Lana Star somehow managed to coast through the season, finishing last in nearly every challenge, but being bumped to the next challenge by either fans or disqualifications.   That didn't help her in the Thunderdome, where Lana was clearly a third wheel, and a sitting duck to be destroyed when the Dead Enders came in and fried her, setting up Marla to win the season. 

FFW SUCCESS PROGNOSIS: Very Low
It was clear that Lana was in over her head from the getgo, and if you're in over your head in a rookie competition, that's not going to go well in the main roster.  No word yet on whether Lana plans to join, but for her own good, she'd best stay away. 


SECOND PLACE: VELVET RAVEN
Velvet started horrendously, and was the first woman out of the first competition.  But she battled back, winning episodes three and five, and putting herself into the finals, and clearly being the season's most improved participant.  After the Thunderdome, it was revealed that Velvet's really Nataly Demidov, and credit to Mark Horton for realizing that, because even I had no clue, considering Natalya may have had one match in FFW (my records are coming up blank). 

FFW SUCCESS PROGNOSIS: Medium
It's tough to tell with Velvet/Natalya, considering she's going to be unmasked in FFW, and that's historically made a bigger difference than you'd think.  My votes out on her, but if she can keep the same focus she had as Velvet Raven, and- more importantly- the same upside Velvet ended up exhibiting, she can make a name for herself. 

CHAMPION: MARLA LEE
The favorite going in turned out to be the winner.  Marla's gamesmanship and disguises frustrated her opponents and confused the hell out of the announcers.  She's brutal, scary intelligent, and overall, able to connect with the fans and garner votes despite being a complete bitch.  The only doubt was whether or not Marla could win in a match, and she proved that as well (even if she did get all the help in the world)

FFW SUCCESS PROGNOSIS: High
Marla's got the look and attitude to be a megastar in FFW, to be sure.  The only question remaining is the extent of her wrestling ability- she's not going to be able to hire her brother's rejects to bail her out every match.  But there's enough there to suggest that she will be a challenge when she contends for the UV title, and perhaps even for more than that a year or two down the road.