• Wrestling News & Wrestling Rumors – WWE & TNA

- Here is this week’s Billboard top Recreational and Sport DVD rankings, dominated by the new Starrcade DVD. Interestingly TNA posted quite high, which is a rarity:

1. Starrcade: The Essential Collection (debut)
2. Armageddon 2008
3. Edge: A Decade of Decadence (#1 last week)
4. TNA: Bound for Glory IV
5. WWE’s Hell in a Cell
6. MLB: 2008 World Series – Phillies vs. Rays
7. Survivor Series 2008
8. History of the Intercontinental championship
9. Oakland Raiders Greatest Super Bowl Victories
10. Viva La Raza: The Legacy of Eddie Guerrero

- After initially making a plea bargain, Chris Benoit’s former doctor Phil Astin has changed to pleading guilty before the US District Court of Georgia. Sentencing is unknown at this time, but he is up for multiple counts of writing illegal prescription, including to several wrestlers.

- ROH’s new TV deal that sees them on national cable network HDNet, is believed to be scheduled for an hour weekly show, taped in monthly blocks. HDNet will cover post production with guidance from ROH. Despite being HD, ROH will not be upgrading their set, or binging in effects like pyro.

- Jim Ross is back with another JRSBARBQ.com blog; here are the wrestling highlights:

On RVD’s Wife:
“The highlight of the Royal Rumble was seeing RVD’s wife Sonja who looked absolutely amazing especially in light that she just finished several weeks of chemotherapy in her battle with cancer. I am so thankful that Sonja, with her husband’s support, is winning her fight with the Big “C” as this native Oklahoma lass is one of the nicest wrestler’s wives in the business.”

On Y2J vs Rourke:
“Mickey Rourke seems like a likable guy as depicted on The Larry King Show on CNN this week. I caught the replay while in Indianapolis and was entertained by Rourke’s laid back banter and mild rebuttal to Chris Jericho as the two of them discussed various possibilities at Wrestlemania 25. If Rourke and Jericho were ever to meet in a wrestling ring, I wonder how many die hard wrestling fans would boo the Golden Globe winning actor and cheer the controversial Jericho?”

On Umaga:
“Umaga returns to Friday Night Smackdown this week which will add an addition spark to the broadcast. It also appears that Matt Hardy likely will be joining the SD roster which adds much needed, main event depth to the show as well.”