• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, December 7, 2007

Celebrating the 15th anniversary of "RAW," a wrestling television show that airs Monday nights on the USA Network, World Wrestling Entertainment will release the "RAW--Greatest Hits--The Music" CD, and a DVD with nine hours of programming. Marketing and advertisements will run on television, in print and online.

The first CD released under the new Columbia Records/WWE Music Group label will become available online and in stores Dec. 18, with the DVD following shortly after. Jim Johnston, who wrote the music, also produced the CD, along with executive producer Rick Ruben, the award-winning talent behind albums from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Johnny Cash who was named co-chair of Columbia Records earlier this year.

The CD offers up the music themes heard on the show as each wrestler enters the stage. The music includes themes from John Cena, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, Undertaker, Mr. McMahon, Batista, Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, Mick Foley, Trish Stratus, Evolution, Kane, and D-Generation X. The show runs in 120 countries in 20 languages.

WWE Music Group's GM Neil Lawi says television spots promoting the anniversary CD and DVD will run in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angles, Philadelphia, and New York on shows like "America's Most Wanted" and "The Simpsons," as well as other shows on cable networks Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, and MTV.

The online marketing promotion relies on Google, Facebook and MySpace to spread the word about the anniversary CD and DVD in banner and video ads. "We'll have huge promotions at Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Target," says Neil Lawi, GM of WWE Music Group. "At Best Buy, Circuit City, Virgin stores, or anywhere you can buy CDs, we'll have corrugated cutouts of the superstars."

Wal-Mart will run special in-store promotions, from end-aisle displays to two exclusive bonus special tracks--Melina, "Paparazzi"; and Mr. Kennedy, "Turn Up The Trouble"--on the CD sold through stores. Lawi says Columbia Records plans to deliver the CD to Rolling Stone, Spin, Revolver, Billboard, Entertainment Weekly and People to tease out a music review or two.

The promotion includes mobile content, too, downloadable ringtones, ringbacks and wallpaper available on the WWE Web site and popular destinations like Apple's iTunes Music Store, Amazon, Yahoo Music, RealNetworks' Rhapsody, among others.

Among the promotions planned to celebrate the event, a special three-hour anniversary "RAW" television special airing live from Bridgeport, Conn., Monday on the USA Network, and a Christmas Eve "Tribute to the Troops" on Monday, Dec. 24.

WWE Music has sold more than six million CDs worldwide with five WWE Music Group album titles debuting in the U.S. Top 10.