Muppets guest on 'Raw'

Video: Muppets guest on 'Raw' With guest hosts like Hugh Jackman, Pee Wee Herman and Bob Barker, WWE's "Monday Night Raw" has looked like "The Muppet Show" for several years. Tonight, it actually turns into the Muppets' show. As a promotion for "The Muppets" movie, out Thanksgiving weekend, Disney offered WWE its felt-covered stars to serve as hosts of the company's weekly series, appropriately enough, during the company's Halloween episode, airing live from Atlanta.WWE had long been looking for a way to work with the characters, but couldn't come up with the right reason -- until Disney greenlit the new Muppet movie. Nine of the film's characters, including Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, will appear during segments of the two-hour show in which they interact with WWE's wrestlers. The film's live action stars, Jason Segel and Amy Adams will not be present. Disney wanted to work with WWE again after it arranged Jackman to host "Raw" on Sept. 19 to promote DreamWorks' "Real Steel," in which he stars.That stunt wound up getting picked up by a large number of media outlets, giving both companies a considerable PR payoff. Both companies now expect the Muppets to generate even more attention. WWE started promoting the Muppets' appearance on "Raw" in mid-September with promos featuring Kermit and Miss Piggy during the company's shows and social media platforms, giving Disney months of exposure for "The Muppets" before its bow with a specific audience it may not normally reach.Ever since WWE switched to an all-PG format in 2008, the company has aggressively courted families and kids to watch its programming as a way to boost ratings and attendance figures of its live events, but also create a following among a younger demo that it hopes will grow up with the brand. Contact Marc Graser at marc.graser@variety.com