For as long as anybody can remember, Madison Square Garden has been something of 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 Hulkmania that made the company huge in the 1980s. It's where the first WrestleMania was held.

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While those things and so many others are historic, we're here to discuss a different section of the storied past between WWE and MSG. Some of the best episodes of Raw and Smackdown ever produced emanated from Madison Square Garden. We've scoured those installments to select the 10 best moments.

10 Title Unification

The night after SummerSlam 2002 --widely considered one of the best pay-per-view events in history-- saw an episode of Raw held in Madison Square Garden. While there were notable matches like Triple H vs. The Undertaker and Chris Jericho vs. Jeff Hardy, it's another contest that stood out.

Former ECW stars Rob Van Dam and Tommy Dreamer competed in a match to unify the Intercontinental and Hardcore Championships. Van Dam won out and it resulted in the retirement of the Hardcore Title. It may not be super memorable, but it was historic and added another accolade to Van Dam's successful career.

9 The Tie

In 2000, WWE was riding a wave of momentum. With "Stone Cold" Steve Austin on the shelf, stars were rising to help take his place. Among them were Chris Jericho, Triple H, and Kurt Angle. They competed in a triple threat main event on this early August edition of Raw.

The winner would go on to face The Rock for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam. Angle and Triple H worked together to beat down on Jericho at the request of Triple H's wife Stephanie McMahon. However, their alliance was rocky, due to Angle making moves on Stephanie. That led to both men pinning Jericho, resulting in a tie that set up a triple threat match for the ages with The Rock.

8 An Awesome Champion

WWE purchased WCW in 2001, officially winning the war between the two companies. That same year, ECW closed its doors. That left WWE as the only game in town, so they decided to bring in talent from both former promotions as part of an invasion storyline. Major WCW players like Diamond Dallas Page and Booker T had already made appearances, but it was Mike Awesome who made the biggest impact.

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On Raw the night after King of the Ring, Awesome interfered in a Hardcore Title match. Due to the 24/7 rules of the championship, Awesome pinned Rhyno to become champion. The idea that a WCW guy came into WWE's hallowed grounds of MSG and won a title was unbelievable. it was a huge firing shot to start a new battle.

7 Legendary Tag Teams

Sometimes, a moment can be special just because of who is involved. During the 2009 episode of Raw from Madison Square Garden, three tag teams faced off in a match of epic proportions. That's because all six men involved are surefire WWE Hall of Famers.

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On one side, you had Triple H and Shawn Michaels of D-Generation X. In another corner, there was Chris Jericho and Big Show, known as JeriShow. Lastly, you had the rare tandem of John Cena and The Undertaker. Regardless of the outcome, just seeing these six legends compete in the same match was something to behold.

6 War To Settle The Score

The build to the inaugural WrestleMania was given a ton of press and hype. That included this special, which aired exclusively on MTV. A lot of it was centered around the relationship between the company and pop music sensation Cyndi Lauper.

This kind of cross-promotion was pivotal to making WrestleMania feel special. Lauper accompanied Hulk Hogan to the ring for his WWE Title defense against Roddy Piper. This wasn't a major event and it only featured one match, but it was crucial in the grand scheme of things. Without it, WrestleMania may not have been the success that it was.

5 Triple H Returns

Triple H Return

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.

We were finally treated to that moment on the January 7, 2002 edition of Raw. The Madison Square Garden crowd blew the roof off the arena when Triple H stepped through the curtain. They were so happy to see him back that they forgave years of dastardly deeds. They just knew that one of the best in the world was doing what he loved once again. It was a goosebumps-inducing scene.

4 Kane Unmasks

Kane Unmasks

One of the biggest mysteries in wrestling history surrounded Kane and his mask. Sure, some fans remember him for his previous gimmick in the mid-90s, but we knew that Kane wore a mask because he was burned as a child. From his debut in late 1997 until one faithful summer episode of Raw in 2003, Kane wore the mask for every match.

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On that evening, Kane failed to capture the World Heavyweight Title from Triple H. The stipulations stated that if that happened, he'd had to finally unmask, which Kane did. While we're used to the sight now, this was a massive deal when it first happened.

3 Cactus Jack Debuts

The 1997 rivalry between Triple H and Mick Foley was one that elevated both wrestlers to the next level. Hunter continually beat Mankind and his alter-ego Dude Love, holding a great record against Foley. Everything in their feud changed during the first Raw ever held in Madison Square Garden.

Realizing that he was outmatched as the characters 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.

2 Kofi Kingston Attacks Randy Orton

This was it. This was the moment where everyone felt that Kofi Kingston had blossomed into a megastar. Randy Orton attacked the legendary Roddy Piper in the ring in front of the MSG crowd. His rival at the time, Kingston, ran out to make the save. Kingston beat on Orton to a chorus of boos in what was looking like it would be a rough segment.

However, the battle between Kingston and Orton got heated and the fans began turning. They rallied behind Kingston as the attack progressed. By the time Kingston climbed a structure and hit the Boom Drop on Orton through a table, the crowd was completely cheering for him. Viewers got chills watching this one.

1 The First Stunner

The First Stunner

The rivalry between "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Vince McMahon was the backbone of the Attitude Era. Without it, WWE might not beat 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.

Austin got annoyed by the series of questions McMahon posed, so he kicked him in the stomach and dropped him with a Stone Cold Stunner. He was immediately arrested, but the fans went nuts. That set the tone for who Austin and McMahon would be going forward. It was the first of hundreds of Stunners on McMahon, and worked as the perfect moment for such a historic Raw debut at MSG.

NEXT: 5 Awesome Attitude Era Moments (& 5 That Don't Hold Up)