On the Mat
| On the Mat | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Created by | Steve Rickard |
| Directed by | John Lye |
| Presented by | Steve Rickard Ernie Leonard Barry Holland |
| Starring | All Star Pro-Wrestling roster |
| Country of origin | New Zealand |
| No. of seasons | 9 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Ernie Leonard Michael Scott |
| Location(s) | Auckland, Christchurch and Hamilton, New Zealand |
| Camera setup | Multicamera setup |
| Running time | Approximately 24-25 minutes per episode (30 minutes with commercials) |
| Production company(s) |
South Pacific Pictures Television New Zealand |
| Release | |
| Original network | TV2 (1975–1984) |
| Original release | 1975 – 23 July 1984 |
On the Mat was a professional wrestling television program for the National Wrestling Alliance-affiliated All Star Pro-Wrestling (ASPW), or simply NWA New Zealand, that aired on Television New Zealand's TV2 from 1975 to 1984. One of the most popular and the longest-running weekly sports series in the history of New Zealand, the show featured some of the country's top wrestlers and international stars from throughout the world during the 1970s and early 1980s.
On the Mat characterized the "golden age" of professional wrestling in New Zealand and made household names of promoter Steve Rickard, John da Silva, Robert Bruce and others during the 1970s. Much of the show's popularity was based on native New Zealanders and foreign wrestlers working together against their common enemies or, sometimes, being pitted against each other. Several New Zealand wrestlers such as Tony Garea, Peter Maivia, Siva Afi and The Sheepherders, partly from their television appearances, were brought over to the United States where they became major stars during the 1980s wrestling boom. Likewise, wrestlers from the National Wrestling Alliance, Stampede Wrestling, the World Wide Wrestling Federation and other foreign promotions were regulars on the show.
As a member of the National Wrestling Alliance, the NWA World Heavyweight Championship was defended on the show on several occasions, both between North American wrestlers and against New Zealanders, by legendary champions such as Harley Race and "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair. Similarly, NWA storylines and feuds were played out on the program that would usually not have been seen in the US. In 1983, for example, the show aired what was a controversial ending to a best 2-of-3 falls match between Ric Flair and Mark Lewin in Auckland which saw the NWA World title momentarily change hands but was then returned to Flair via reverse decision. A year later, another NWA title change took place between Flair and Harley Race in Wellington and Geylang, Singapore though these would not be officially recognized by the NWA for several years.
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