The best thing about Indianapolis securing the Royal Rumble in 2025 is that the city didn't land the massive event a few years ago.

Why it matters: Renewed interest in the WWE has pushed ticket sales for Saturday night's show in Lucas Oil Stadium to an estimated 65,000.

• That's the biggest Royal Rumble crowd of all time, and the first time WWE has drawn more than 60,000 fans to the event since 1997.

What they're saying: Indianapolis resident and lifelong wrestling fan Jacob Polk thinks today's WWE is even hotter than it was during the beloved "Attitude Era" from 1997-2002 when wrestlers like "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Undertaker and The Rock were household names.

• "Between what Triple H is doing leading WWE and what Shawn Michaels is doing with NXT, it feels like they are really listening. And the roster is crazy right now," he said. "They're fully tapped in and they feel like they're having as much fun putting on the show as we are watching it."

Between the lines: WWE reached a low in December 2018 when widespread dissatisfaction led to controversial chairman Vince McMahon standing in the ring flanked by his immediate family on an episode of Monday Night Raw, promising to deliver better programming.

• All Elite Wrestling, a well-funded promotion launched at the start of 2019, added to the pressure on WWE.

State of play: A significant WWE leadership shift began in 2022 when McMahon, the subject of courtroom scandals since the WWF's Golden Era, was named as the central figure in a sexual trafficking investigation.

• McMahon was formally ousted from the company in January 2024 and his real-life son-in-law Paul "Triple H" Levesque — a key star of WWE's Attitude Era — became the corporate face of the company.

Go deeper

Sixty WWE superstars will compete across two matches Saturday night in Lucas Oil Stadium as the official start of WrestleMania season.

How it works: The Royal Rumble begins with two wrestlers in the ring. Every 90 seconds, a timer ticks down and a new wrestler enters.

• The clock keeps rolling until 30 competitors have entered.
• But don't expect to see all 30 wrestlers rumbling at once. Along the way, wrestlers try to eliminate their opponents by throwing them over the top rope.
• The last wrestler standing wins and earns a title shot of their choice at WrestleMania XLI in Las Vegas.
• There is a men's match and a women's match. Both matches follow the same structure.

How to watch: The Royal Rumble streams on Peacock at 7pm.

Fun fact

Two local artists have formed a tag team that combines their talent with their love of wrestling.

Zoom in: For an Indiana Sports Corp. commissioned collab called "Here Comes the PAINt," artists JD Bills and Kyng Rhodes have each created Royal Rumble-inspired murals.

• Head to Fountain Square to see Bills' piece, "The Ringmasters," at Murphy Arts Center.
• Rhodes' piece, "The Circle City Enters the Rumble" is greeting fans at the Indianapolis International Airport.

🗳️ Former South Bend mayor and transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg is considering a Senate run in his current home state of Michigan. (Axios)

💸 Thanks, in part, to the $15.5 million buyout of former football coach Tom Allen, IU athletics lost money last year — despite raking in record revenue. (Herald-Times)

⛔️ Lawmakers are considering a bill that would make it easier to shut down bars where violence occurs. (IndyStar)

❄️ Frustrated by snow blockages weeks after the last snowstorm, cyclists are asking the city to include bike lanes in its snow removal plan. (WTHR)

🤘🏿 Justin here!

One of the coolest parts of the WWE Royal Rumble is guessing who the next person coming to the ring will be.

Why it matters: Sometimes the superstar coming through the curtain is not from the world of pro wrestling.

• Over the years, celebrities like Drew Carey, Bad Bunny and Johnny Knoxville have all tried to shock the world by winning the Rumble.

Zoom in: With that in mind, here is a list of celebs with Indy ties who could send the crowd into a frenzy if they hit the ring Saturday night.

Tyrese Haliburton

• I'll be shocked if Haliburton DOESN'T enter the event. He has been teasing it for months and has been in a WWE ring multiple times. He even has his own WWE merch.
• Trust me, "Tyrese 3:17" will make his Royal Rumble debut this weekend.

Pat McAfee

• Same as Haliburton, this is a no-brainer. McAfee is already a member of the WWE roster with Rumble experience and will be doing commentary at Lucas Oil. He entered the 2024 Rumble from the commentary desk before eliminating himself in just 38 seconds out of (understandable) fear.

Four more celebs and one elected official

After the Rumble wraps, the WWE will continue to make a lasting impact in the lives of kids on Indy's west side.

Driving the news: On Thursday afternoon, WWE superstars swung by the Legore Boys & Girls Club to unveil the latest WWE SuperSpace. The renovation of the club's fitness center is an extension of WWE's long-time partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

🤘🏿 Justin again!

I've been watching professional wrestling for more than 30 years, and one thing that comes with the territory is a look of confusion on the faces of non-fans when I tell them how much I love it.

Flashback: My passion for pro graps was born in the early 1990s by way of the WWF WrestleFest arcade game.

• I was captivated by larger-than-life characters like Big Boss Man, Sgt. Slaughter and Mr. Perfect duking it out.

Zoom in: As I grew older and learned more about how the production on screen came to be, my fandom and appreciation shifted.

• I developed great respect for the extreme risk taken and the otherworldly athleticism required for these performers to do what they do with no off-season.

Keep reading

The time for talking is over! So let's ring the bell and end this week's "wrestlers to know" feature with a pair of Justin's personal favorites.

Kevin Owens

Nickname: The Prizefighter

Finishing moves: Pop-Up Powerbomb, Stunner

Match to watch: Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn at WWE Battleground 2016

Iyo Sky

Nickname: The Genius of the Sky

Finishing move: Moonsault (sometimes performed from the top of a steel cage while wearing a trash can)

Match to watch: Iyo Sky (as Io Shirai) vs Candice Lerae at NXT Takeover Toronto 2019