A long-running staple in Portland television, wrestling had its first exposure on KPTV in 1953, with host Bob McAnulty (see Heidelberg Wrestling). It also aired on other Portland channels, including KOIN (6), but found its greatest success when it returned to KPTV in 1967. 

KPTV sports announcer (and midday movie host!) Frank Bonnema took the helm, developing a rapport with the wrestlers that few play-by-play men ever do. His exciting calls of the action inside the ring, as well as his "crow's nest" interviews between matches, became the highlight of KPTV's weekly coverage.

Many wrestlers who found national fame got their start in Portland, and appeared on KPTV's "Portland Wrestling," including Jesse Ventura and "Rowdy Roddy" Piper.

In the beginning, "Portland Wrestling" was a Friday night entry, but by 1969, the program had moved to Saturdays, where it would remain for the rest of its run. Originally a live program, KPTV began tape-delaying the Saturday matches until 11:00pm in 1979.

Following Frank Bonnema's sudden death in 1982, Don Coss took over as host of the program. Rising production costs, the loss of faithful sponsor Tom Peterson (who declared bankruptcy in the early 1990s, and declining ratings finally put an end to "Portland Wrestling" in December 1991. The matches continued, and have been periodically televised on other Portland stations through the years.

Not since this incarnation, however, has wrestling from Portland enjoyed such a following. Even the nationally broadcast WWE matches don't draw the numbers of viewers who tuned in for "Portland Wrestling" during its heyday.

At some point, during the 1970s or 1980s, KPTV's broadcast was also aired in other markets, including Seattle, Washington, and the program was called "Big Time Wrestling."