The Hog Pen Match is one that is rarely seen on WWE television or pay-per-view but always features a messy conclusion for whomever is unlucky enough to find themselves tossed in the mud and pig crap set up to inside the arena. The Hog Pen match originated during a 1995 feud between pig farmer Henry Godwinn and Connecticut aristocrat Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Helmsley was absolutely disgusted by his arch nemesis and his dirty, disgusting occupation. This led to several instances in which Godwinn attempted to douse the entitled snob in slop. Eventually, the first-ever Hog Pen match was booked for In Your House V in December. There, Godwinn would lose the match after being tossed into the pigsty but he would get the last laugh, sending his rival face-first into the muck. Helmsley would flip and flop around, much to the delight of fans, his ego bruised and his pride extinguished. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPROFfxFJL4 At Bad Blood 2003, Steve Austin would humiliate Eric Bischoff by tossing him into the pigsty while Vickie Guerrero and Santina Marella did battle among the hogs in 2009 at Extreme Rules. The truly awful nature of both of those "matches" has ensured that the Hog Pen match is rarely brought out of mothballs. And rightfully so. Never has a fan uttered the words, "wow, that Hog Pen match was really good." Godwinn and Helmsley laid the groundwork for a fun and entertaining match but the rocket scientists in WWE Creative forever ruined its effectiveness with the two that followed.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
