'The Barack Is Cookin' A Troops Tribute For The WWE

President Obama will appear on a World Wrestling Entertainment special this weekend to pay tribute to troops serving abroad, the wrestling network announced.

Obama, no stranger to WWE, has recorded a holiday message for the Saturday 9 p.m. "Tribute to the Troops," which will detail wrestling stars who have performed for troops at bases in the Middle East.

Gen. David Petraeus also will be on the program, which airs on NBC.

WWE says it is the seventh year they have gone to the war zones for a live show for troops.

According to Torch, former President George W. Bush recorded a similar message last year.

From the Torch article:

WWE taped this year's show two weeks ago with wrestlers and divas from the Raw, Smackdown, and ECW brands. The show will feature basic wrestling matches and video clips of the WWE wrestlers and divas interacting with the troops.

It's a bit different from Obama's segment in April 2008, when he, his then-rival Hillary Clinton and Sen. John McCain each appeared on "Monday Night Raw" to promise a real smackdown. (There also was, of course, the animated version.)

In the more, ahem, serious segment, Obama said he would ask the special interests, "Do you smell what Barack is cookin'?"

Watch:

Late Update: The White House tells us it will be a 30-second segment. Also, it's got political consequences.