The iconic segment that made Triple H burst into tears backstage

On January 7, 2002, WWE legend Triple H made his much-anticipated return to one of the loudest reactions in the history of professional wrestling.

20 years ago, WWE RAW emanated from the historic Madison Square Garden in NYC. This particular episode of RAW will always be remembered for Triple H's heart-stopping return to the ring.

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What kept Triple H out of action for over eight months?

The May 21, 2001 edition of RAW featured a WWE Tag Team Championship match between Triple H & Stone Cold Steve Austin and Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit. At one point during the contest, Jericho locked Austin in the Walls of Jericho. The Game attempted to break the hold and ended up tearing his quadriceps muscle.

Triple H couldn't place any weight on his injured leg for the remainder of the match, but he still managed to complete the bout. The injury put him out of action for about eight long months. Fans who were actively watching around that time are aware that the year 2001 featured a months-long storyline pitting WWE with The Alliance. Unfortunately for the Cerebral Assassin, he missed the entirety of the Invasion angle, courtesy of his quad injury.

Mere days before the 2002 Royal Rumble event, Triple H made his big return to WWE on January 7 at the famed Madison Square Garden. The comeback garnered a deafening pop from the rabid fans in attendance, who had waited for months on end to see Triple H again. Check out the video embedded below to hear the insane pop that the WWE veteran received that night:

Right after Triple H left the ring and went to the back, he began crying his heart out. Here's what the 14-time world champion had to say about his MSG return:

"When I got back through the curtain and made sure I was out of sight, I lost it. I was bawling. Certainly not out of sadness. It was an appreciation. The whole ordeal was just so emotional for me—what I’d gone through, what I almost lost, the appreciation the fans showed me—it all just hit me at once and I lost it," wrote Triple H. [From his book "Making The Game"]

Kurt Angle's interference marred the return, but it didn't take long for The King of Kings to dispose of the Olympic gold medalist. The 2002 Royal Rumble match saw Triple H throw Angle out in the end to punch his ticket to the main event of WrestleMania X8.

At WrestleMania X8, Triple H defeated Chris Jericho to become the Undisputed WWE Champion. He shed his babyface persona soon after and spent the next three years dominating the RAW roster as its biggest heel.