We go hard after Gamma WW champ Bobby Brubaker, offering $11,000 per fight, it is vain as expected, as the best welterweight in the world resigns with the big boys.
Instead of the gold ring, we get two Gamma castoffs in MW Thomas Smith 15-5 signs for $2,000 per fight, 5 fights after being let go and WW Lloyd McAllister 16-6, let go in March after his 3rd straight loss comes on board for $1,500 per fight. We also sign a prospect in HW Morgan Hopwood, a 24 yr old muscle bound freak who is 1-0 and strong as an Ox, but has serious stamina issues.
MW Champ Isaiah Moore leaves Mean Machines training camp, a curious move as good as he has been.
On the business end, we schedule our first show in Canada, with ECW 13: Invasion set for Ontario in August. No fights signed yet, but I am hoping for a Rupert Dreck vs Joshua Hope main event for the LHW title, a fight that should leave a great first impression on this unexplored territory since Hope hails from Edmonton. The loser here is Brody Howles, who will now have to wait to face the winner and will probably appear on the same card. We also vault into the #6 MMA company in the world passing KDM FC.
Stan Still hurts is back and is out of his fight with Taye Burnett at ECW 11: Lonestar Showdown. No Heavyweights are available, but Dwayne Allen offers to take a catchweight fight. I decide against it and we will go with only 2 prelim fights on the card.
Gamma comes after Justin Brannagh, I offer a raise to $3,800 to keep him. Gamma counters and it eventually costs me $4,200 per fight to keep him.
Next Gamma comes after breakout star Cal Hillson, who I am paying the obscenely low amount of $735 per fight. The offer $1,000, I go to $1,600. They counter and I go to $2,000, we will see how this plays out.
Complete card for ECW 11: Lonestar Showdown in Texas, which features a so-so main event, but a stacked undercard, including a much anticipated fight between Twinge and Jones, which has turned nasty over the last couple of weeks with Twinge initiating an ugly war of words between the camps.
| | ECW 11: Lonestar Showdown | Saturday, June 29, 2002 |
| | Main Event |
| | Blazin' Callum Henson 23-10 vs Felix 'Kick Ass' Mattherson Jr. 9-1 Vacant ECW Welterweight Title |
| | Undercard |
| | Wilson Franklyn 11-2 vs Fatuma Roy 23-11 (HW) | Sly Twinge 10-0 vs Damien Jones 8-1 (HW) |
| | Tom Essy 5-0 vs Julio Gituerrez 10-0 (MW) | Jericho Stewart 6-1 vs Cal Hillson 6-0 (LH) |
| | Plus 2 exciting preliminary bouts featuring |
| | Dean Capers vs Blaze Weeks and Joe Pelham vs Garrison Grable |