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WWE returns to their home of Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, this Friday for Super SmackDown on FOX.
WWE has an extensive history in the 'World's Most Famous Arena' with historic matches, events and moments. They date all the way back to the 1950s with names from The McMahon family promoting them such as Jess McMahon and Vincent J. McMahon.
Iconic events throughout the history of WWE have taken place at Madison Square Garden. These include the first WrestleMania, Hulk Hogan winning the WWE Championship for the first time and the very first SummerSlam pay-per-view event as well.
The arena is often seen as WWE's "home base" in the United States. This is due to its history with the building as well as being a New York-based promotion in its infancy during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at 5 incredible WWE Madison Square Garden matches.
#5. D-Generation X vs. Chris Jericho & The Big Show vs. John Cena & The Undertaker (WWE Monday Night RAW 2009)
WWE Monday Night RAW returned to Madison Square Garden in 2009 for one of its most memorable episodes in recent history.
The show was guest hosted by WWE Hall of Famer 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper. It featured an incredible segment with Kofi Kingston hitting Randy Orton with The Boom Drop from out of the stands.
The show featured a main event with six of the biggest WWE Superstars in company history in an epic triple threat tag team main event.
D-Generation X (Shawn Michaels and Triple H) faced off against Unified Tag Team Champions Chris Jericho & The Big Show and World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker & WWE Champion John Cena.
It hyped up the respective WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship Triple Threat Matches at that year's Survivor Series. The match was historic mainly due to the names involved.
John Cena got the victory for his team by pinning Triple H after hitting the Attitude Adjustment. Once the match was over, The Undertaker hit John Cena with a Tombstone, much to the delight of the New York crowd.
#4. World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber match (WWE Survivor Series 2002)
WWE Survivor Series 2002 saw the first ever Elimination Chamber match take place.
Monday Night RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff created the match. He did it in retaliation of SmackDown's incredible Hell in a Cell match between The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar the month prior at No Mercy.
The match featured Triple H defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Kane, Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels.
It was The Heartbreak Kid's second match since making an in-ring return to WWE at SummerSlam in August of that year.
The match was violent, brutal and bloody. It saw Triple H and Shawn Michaels as the final two competitors remaining after the other WWE Superstars were eliminated.
Michaels hit Sweet Chin Music on his former D-Generation X teammate to win the match and capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for the first time.
The crowd inside Madison Square Garden erupted in one of the most special and memorable moments in WWE history.
#3. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (WWE WrestleMania X)
WrestleMania X is fondly remembered for a variety of reasons. One of them is arguably the greatest opening match in WrestleMania history between Bret 'Hitman' Hart and Owen Hart.
The brother vs. brother match had been stewing for months. Owen proclaimed that he was the greatest wrestler in The Hart family and not his older brother Bret.
'The Hitman' was also scheduled to compete twice in the evening. As the co-winner of the Royal Rumble match, he was scheduled to challenge the winner of Yokozuna vs. Lex Luger for the WWE Championship in the main event.
Bret and Owen Hart opened WrestleMania X in Madison Square Garden with an all-time technical wrestling masterclass. It is still considered one of the greatest wrestling matches of all time to this day.
The closing moments of the match saw Bret Hart attempt to execute a victory roll. However, Owen blocked the move and shockingly pinned Bret to win the match, much to the surprise of the Madison Square Garden crowd.
#2. Triple H vs. Cactus Jack - WWE Championship Street Fight (WWE Royal Rumble 2000)
WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley is often credited with "legitimizing" Triple H as a major main event superstar in WWE.
'The Game' and 'The Hardcore Legend' have some of the best in-ring chemistry of any duo in WWE history. This was evidenced by their incredible WWE Championship Street Fight.
Previously competing as Mankind, Foley switched to his darker and more violent Cactus Jack persona ahead of the bout. The match was incredibly violent, utilizing barbed wire and thumbtacks throughout, much to the delight of the WWE Universe inside Madison Square Garden.
The closing moments of the match saw Triple H hit a Pedigree on Cactus Jack. However, Jack incredibly kicked out at two, much to the disbelief and frustration of the WWE Champion.
Triple H followed this up with another Pedigree, this time onto thumbtacks to get the victory and retain the WWE Championship.
#1. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon - Intercontinental Championship Ladder match (WWE WrestleMania X)
WrestleMania X saw the first televised ladder match in WWE history.
In 1993, Shawn Michaels was stripped of the Intercontinental Championship by WWE President Jack Tunney for not defending the title on a regular basis.
This allowed Razor Ramon to capture the vacant Intercontinental Championship by winning a battle royal. However, Michaels refused to acknowledge the title change, leading to a Champion vs. Champion ladder match at WrestleMania X.
With both titles suspended high above the ring, Michaels and Ramon executed one of the greatest ladder matches in WWE history. The event and the building only added to the historic nature of this incredible match.
The closing moments saw Shawn Michaels climb the ladder and attempt to retrieve both Intercontinental Titles. However, 'The Heartbreak Kid' was pushed off the ladder by Ramon. Michaels landed on the ropes and got tied up.
This allowed Razor Ramon to climb the ladder, retrieve both titles and become the undisputed Intercontinental Champion.
