5 biggest WWE moments that took place inside the Madison Square Garden

For as long as anybody can remember, Madison Square Garden(MSG) has been like a home for WWE. So many iconic moments have happened in the "World's Most Famous Arena". Hulk Hogan won his first WWE Championship there, kicking off the era of Hulkamania that made the company huge in the 1980s. It's where the first WrestleMania was held.

Since then, MSG has played host to some of the biggest stars, both in wrestling, and entertainment as a whole, and has given fans countless classic memories. And with WWE set to return to the arena for RAW and SmackDown Live tapings next month, we're looking back at some of those iconic instances.

Here are five huge WWE moments that took place inside Madison Square Garden.

#5: Game on!

The Game returned as a babyface on RAW in 2002 inside the famous arena.

Around the summer of 1999, Triple H became one of the top heels in all of wrestling. He grew into the role with an outstanding 2000 and was in store for a great 2001 until he tore his quadriceps. That put Triple H on the shelf for the rest of the year. While he was gone, fans grew anxious for a return.

Though the injury was horrific, it did allow The Game to avoid the loathed Invasion angle, and by the time he was set to return, the fans were ready for a breath of fresh air. Making his comeback on the January 4, 2002 edition of RAW, the Cerebral Assassin was given a thunderous ovation by the crowd.

A few weeks later, Triple H secured the first of his two Royal Rumble wins, before reclaiming his top spot in the WWF by toppling Chris Jericho to become the Undisputed Champion at WrestleMania X8.

#4: The MSG Incident

The Kliq broke kayfabe in 1996 inside Madison Square Garden.

You know a moment in WWE is big when it's named after the arena it took place in. For those of you who may not know, the MSG Incident involved the Kliq, a group of friends consisting of Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall.

When the latter two were set to leave the WWF for WCW in 1996, the Kliq decided to share the ring one final time, embracing as friends inside the World's Most Famous Arena. The only problem was that whilst Michaels was a face, the rest were heels, and seeing the then-WWF Champion mix with these bad guys broke kayfabe.

With Hall and Nash gone, and Michaels the top star, the blame and punishment fell on Triple H, who had his King of the Ring victory pushed back for an entire year. In his place, it would be 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin who was crowned king in 1996.

As most fans know at this point, Austin's victory speech would include the first mention of 'Austin 3:16', which would go on to become one of the most iconic lines in wrestling history.

#3: Kane unmasks

The scarred and demented Kane was forced to unmask inside Madison Square Garden on RAW in 2003.

When Kane joined the WWE at the 1997 Bad Blood Pay Per View, one of the most striking parts of the Big Red Machine was his mask. Supposedly covering his horribly burned face, Kane's mask sent a chill down the spine of countless fans, and though it went through some changes over the years, the sense of dread it brought remained the same.

In 2003 though, Kane was forced to put his mask on the line on RAW against Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship. Meeting in the World's Most Famous Arena, it was The Game who emerged the victor, thanks to an assist by Evolution. Forced to unmask, Kane's fragile psyche would go with the headpiece, as moments after unmasking, the Big Red Machine attacked his tag team partner Rob Van Dam.

This would lead to a feud between the two former Tag Team Champions that would see the Big Red Machine decimate Van Dam at that year's SummerSlam, proving that there was no going back for Kane, who would spend years uncovered before donning a new mask in late 2011.

#2: Cactus Jack debuts in the World Wrestling Federation

Cactus Jack decimated a young Triple H inside the World's Most Famous Arena to get a win on Monday Night RAW in 1997.

When Mick Foley joined the WWF as Mankind in 1996, the Hardcore legend had a history. For years, Foley had competed as Cactus Jack, the King of the Deathmatch, but hadn't brought the persona to the company. Instead, Foley was Mankind and faced countless opponents and in 1997, repeatedly came up short against Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Changing to Dude Love, the cool cat would also come up short against the Greenwich snob.

Realizing that he was outmatched regardless of the character he was using, Foley brought back the one he became famous for before his time with WWE. He debuted Cactus Jack, who would compete in the most hardcore matches you could imagine. Jack bested Hunter in a wild brawl that remains one of the best TV matches in MSG history.

After years in the company as the WWF's Mankind and the cartoony Dude Love, the Harcore legend finally got to show another side of his incredible personality, whilst giving long-time fans of his a blast from the past.

#1: Austin stuns the Boss for the first time

The first of many, many, many Stunners on Vince McMahon was delivered at MSG.

The rivalry between "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Vince McMahon was the backbone of the Attitude Era. Without it, WWE might not have beaten WCW. Austin was on a run of attacking non-wrestling figures on TV. On the first Raw held in Madison Square Garden, he was interviewed by McMahon, who had yet to become the evil Chairman fans know and love him for today.

Instead, this McMahon was a meagre commentator and interviewer, though the Rattlesnake didn't take kindly to the Boss' questions. Dropping McMahon with a stunner, the Bionic Redneck showed no-one was safe on his route to the WWF title. Levelling the owner of the company, Austin fulfilled the dream of many fans who hated their own bosses, and this would help escalate the Texas Rattlesnake to a star of mythic proportions.

To be fair, the sell by McMahon wasn't the best, as he slumped forward over Austin instead of bouncing back. But it was the first of the dozens of Stunners on McMahon, and worked as the perfect moment for such a historic Raw debut at MSG.