Classic WWE Moments From Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden has been WWE’s backyard for over 40 years. Starting its operations in the Northeast, WWE needed an arena to call home, and MSG was it.

It became home to the biggest stars and the biggest matches. Before the era of PLEs, every big match took place on that hallowed ground.

Every wrestler within the company has referred to the aura surrounding that arena. The effort put towards any show, televised or house, is ten-fold when in other cities. MSG demands that type of respect from anyone lucky enough to perform there.

Since Madison Square Garden has been such a large part of WWE history, there have, of course, been some amazing moments to take place there. Legacies have been solidified, classics have been cemented, and wrestlers have made their stamp on history.

Below is a list of these great moments.

John Cena Surprises The Wrestling World – Royal Rumble 2008

Royal Rumbles are always filled with surprises. The shock of a returning wrestler is what brings the fans to the arena, and it becomes a lasting memory from the match. Perhaps one of the best of these lasting memories is when John Cena shocked the world.

John Cena was known for being superhuman, but making a comeback a mere months after major surgery was insane. His neck fusion surgery should have put him out for an extended period, but he defied all odds when he entered the Royal Rumble as the 30^th entrant.

No one in their right mind expected to see Cena walk through the entryway. It was such a shock that even the usually rowdy Madison Square Garden popped for the man. It was one of the greatest Royal Rumble returns to ever occur.

The Dawn Of WrestleMania – WrestleMania 1985

In the early 1980s, there was no such thing as a PLE. There was no national wrestling corporation, but WWE was trying to change that narrative.

They had the talent to go forward, but they needed a big show to build their company around, and that is when WrestleMania was created. It was intended to be their marquee event and became a rousing success that led the company into its Golden Era.

WWE had the idea, but they needed a location. That is where Madison Square Garden fit in perfectly.

It was WWE’s backyard and carried the sort of importance that they were looking for in their fledging PLE. WrestleMania was the crown jewel of the WWE brand, and there was only one arena that could hold the biggest show in company history.

The Great One Returns To The Ring – Survivor Series 2011

The Rock is one of the greatest talents to ever grace a WWE ring. He was an integral part of the Attitude Era, and his leaving for Hollywood left a huge void in the company. It was a void that was filled by many wrestlers, but his absence was felt.

It was an absence that lasted seven years until The Rock made his return at WrestleMania. However, it wasn’t until Survivor Series that we finally got to see The Great One step back in the ring.

The Rock joined forces with rival John Cena in the main event of Survivor Series. The Rock showed little ring rust, impressing many with his skill. It was a great thing to see The Great One back in a WWE ring, and it was a nice tune-up for his WrestleMania main event a few months later.

The Intercontinental Championship Goes To New Heights – WrestleMania 10

WrestleMania 10 celebrated a decade of the Grandest Stage. WWE chose Madison Square Garden to bring the event full circle, and they paraded out some of the greatest matches in company history to make this big anniversary one of the best in history. WWE had some great matches lined up, but none were on the level of the legendary ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship.

It was a match unlike the WWE audience had seen before. Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon put on an absolute show with their innovative offense and tense moments.

It was the perfect way to settle their long-standing issues, and it was the night that the popularity of the ladder match took off. HBK and The Bad Guy walked so others could walk in the Garden.

The Honky Tonk Man Finally Gets His – SummerSlam 1988

The Honky Tonk Man was a wrestler who everyone loved to hate. The Elvis Impersonator strutted his way to the ring to the ire of just about everyone in the audience. His character inspired hate, and when he wrestled the Intercontinental Championship away from fan favourite Ricky Steamboat, that hate grew exponentially.

Lasting for 454 days, it was a reign that many thought would never end. Fortunately, it spectacularly did when The Honky Tonk Man issue an open challenge inside Madison Square Garden.

The crowd waited for someone to step up, and they erupted when The Ultimate Warrior answered the call, defeating the longest-reigning IC champ in seconds to capture his first major championship. It was a magical moment for the wrestling world.

Hulkamania Is Born – January 23^rd, 1984

Hulk Hogan was the golden goose of WWE. He was the man who led the company into an unprecedented era of success and popularity. The aura of Hulkamania was an impressive one that brought the fans to arenas in droves.

Hulk Hogan and WWE created a larger-than-life commodity that still sees its influence to this day. It was an influence that lasted for decades but has its seeds in an iconic title change that took place inside Madison Square Garden.

It was a cold winter night outside but, inside the Garden, things were warming up. Hulk Hogan was standing across from uber-heel The Iron Shiek, and the crowd was begging for Hogan to upend the champion.

It didn’t take long for Hogan to go over the champ and claim the WWE Championship as his own. The crowd went berserk and filled the arena with a reaction that hadn’t been heard before. It was the night that Hulk Hogan became a legend, and Hulkamania was born.

Triple H Receives A Hero’s Welcome – Raw January 7^th, 2002

Triple H was always going to be a fantastic heel. His demeanor and move set lent an air of arrogance to everything he did, and he leaned into that. He maintained a stranglehold over every major championship that he set his sights on, and frankly, it was very easy to hate The Game.

That was his role, and he was great at it. That is, until he made his return from injury in Madison Square Garden.

The Game had spent nearly a year recovering from a torn quad injury, and it was enough time for the fans to pine for the return of HHH. Some weren’t sure how the audience would react to Hunter, but that question was soon answered when his music hit, and the crowd went absolutely bonkers.

It was a reaction unlike anyone had heard before as the roof of Madison Square Garden nearly blew off. It was a hero’s welcome for one of the most reviled men in wrestling. Proof that absence does make the heart grow fonder.

Triple H & Cactus Jack Set The Bar – Royal Rumble 2000

The Royal Rumble was the last major PLE to make its way to Madison Square Garden. It was a long time coming for WWE to hold its first major PLE of the year there, and they sure didn’t waste it by putting on one of the best shows in company history. The card was filled with great matches, but none can hold a candle to the street fight for the WWE Championship.

Triple H and Cactus Jack tore into one another during their championship encounter. Hardcore matches were starting to take hold in WWE, but none had been featured as heavily as this one was. Thumbtacks, handcuffs, chairs, tables, and everything else that could be used were used.

It was hard to watch, yet no one could take their eyes off what was transpiring. It ushered in a new era, made Triple H a star, and cemented Mick Foley as a legend.

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