In Nick Gallo's wrestling heyday, Madison Square Garden was synonymous with Knicks and Rangers games. For Tom Ryan, MSG meant performances by the Harlem Globe Trotters and Neil Diamond.

But wrestling, these Long Island legends will tell you, was certainly not on the venue's radar at the time.

"No, I wasn't real sure about it ever being here," Gallo said Wednesday at a press conference at the Garden in advance of the 2016 NCAA wrestling championships, "but I'm so glad it is."

It is the first time in the Garden's 135-year history that it will host the event. For local wrestling greats, the significance runs deep.