Powell's Blog: WWE Tribute to the Troops, praising JBL, bring the broadcast team, ratings outlook, Here Comes the Pain!

Sunday, December 21 – 10:45 A.M. (CT)

-The WWE Tribute to the Troops special was an entertaining hour of television. I'm always impressed by the work that the production team puts in on these shows, particularly the feel good video pieces they put together. Unfortunately, the one-hour time slot kept the videos to a minimum.

Let's face it, the wrestling on these shows is secondary. It's great to see the troops enjoying themselves so much and the makeshift arena the company puts together is always a great visual, but it's the videos that share the stories of individual troops that hit home and make this event so special.

I'm happy that NBC decided to feature this show because it has the potential to reach more viewers than a standard edition of Smackdown, but I really missed the second hour. That being said, the company did the best they could with the hour they were given and they can take pride in knowing that they put on a fun show for the troops.

-There's no denying that JBL got what he had coming to him when Joey Styles tagged him with a punch during the tour, but I was also happy to hear Michael Cole praise his role in getting the company involved with the USO. He's been the butt of jokes ever since the Iraq tour and rightfully so, but I hope people also realize the role he played making this annual tour happen.

-I really wish WWE would fly a broadcast team to Iraq for the show. Cole and Jerry Lawler stated right from the start that they were broadcasting in the WWE studios, but then Cole went on to speak as if they were in Iraq. The announcers did a decent job with this event, but it would be nice if they could share stories they actually experienced.

-I don't have high hopes for WWE popping a rating for the NBC special. I know many people will say that's not the important thing in this case, but let me remind you that NBC cared enough about the rating that they asked for Hulk Hogan to be part of the event.

There was no real hook for this show other than that it was being broadcast in Iraq. WWE didn't hype any matches or special appearances, and the matches they feature seem as meaningless in the big picture as a preseason football game. Don't get me wrong, I know the troops enjoy the show and that's the important thing, but WWE could do more to attract viewers to this great event.

-Anyone who has been reading the site for more than a week knows I'm a diehard Vikings fan. Yet like most fans of The Purple, I've developed a pessimistic attitude about my favorite NFL team over the years. For many Vikings fans, it's the four Super Bowl losses.

I'm still young enough that I don't even remember watching them play in the Super Bowl, but I did suffer through the meltdown against the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship game following the 15-1 regular season from my seat in good old section 216. I also suffered through the 41-0 loss to Giants in the NFC Championship Game from the comfort of my couch just a few years later. And no Vikings (or Packers) fan will forget the Nate Poole catch that cost the Vikings a divisional title and eliminated them from playoff contention on the final play of the 2003 regular season.

In recent years, I've sat back and waited for the worst to happen. For instance, I was convinced that the Vikings would be the only team to lose to the Detroit Lions this year. When we swept the season series against the Lions (it wasn't pretty, though), I was confident that Kurt Warner was going to pass for 500 yards and five touchdowns last week.

The Vikings rolled over the Cardinals and now have a chance to win the division if they can get by the Falcons later today. After watching this team coast to wins in three of their last four games, I'm not longer as pessimistic as I once was. I'm actually starting to believe that they are one of the better teams in the NFC and that the will win the NFC North today.

Here Comes the Pain! Whenever I truly believe the Vikings, they come up with new ways to break my heart. Will they break it later today or wait until the playoffs to lose to a team they should beat or find some improbable way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory as only they can? Please, Vikings, just win today so that I can add an NFC North Division Champion shirt to my Christmas list and remember how fun it is to watch my favorite team in the playoffs.