The WWE Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium this weekend was a massively successful first step in a multi-year partnership between the sports entertainment juggernaut and the city of Indianapolis that's only going to get bigger.

Zoom in: Here's what worked — and what didn't — as the WWE took over Indy.

🤼 Good:

• According to Paul "Triple H" Levesque, 70,347 fans packed Lucas Oil, making Saturday's event the biggest rumble ever and WWE's third-largest gate. That puts WWE in Taylor Swift territory.
• Before hitting the ring, the WWE held a Community Champions Showcase event celebrating local nonprofits including the Indianapolis Public Schools Foundation, Girls Inc. and the Inner Beauty Program.
• John Cena picking Indy to be the site of his final Royal Rumble is big. Plus, his Colts-themed retirement tour merch is solid.
• The Marcus Freeman sighting.
• The custom video the Pacers came out to on WWE night.

👎 Bad:

• A prediction from our Axios Cleveland friends of Logan Paul winning the men's rumble match came a little too close for comfort.

• No Tyrese 3:17 debut. Haliburton was ringside but never stepped in the ring. Maybe he's saving it for SummerSlam. Or maybe the Pacers don't want him risking injury midseason. (It's probably that second part.)
• Parking costs. Event parking from $70 to $100 was far too common.

🪜 Ugly:

• Everything Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens did to each other in their brutal ladder match for the WWE Championship.
• The spear IShowSpeed took from Bron Breakker when the streamer entered the rumble as this year's shock celebrity entrant.

More hits and misses

State lawmakers have two weeks to get their bills out of committee this legislative session.

Why it matters: They'll take action on dozens of issues this week, including priorities such as teacher pay increases and property tax reform.

Here are the bills we're watching:

🏫 Partisan school boards

The Senate Elections Committee on Monday will consider Senate Bill 287, which would make Indiana's school board elections partisan.

🏊 Transgender athletes in college sports

House Bill 1041 would bar transgender girls and women from participating on women's teams in college sports.

• It's being heard by the House Education Committee at 8:30am Wednesday.

🟢 Teacher pay increases measure heads to floor

It's looking likely that Indiana will raise the starting pay for teachers to $45,000.

• Braun has called for the increase; Senate Bill 146, which would do just that, has passed two Senate committees.

Four more issues to watch

🏀 WNBA veterans DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard will join the Indiana Fever next season, sources say.

• Bonner is a six-time all-star and two-time champion, and Howard is a two-time all-star with three WNBA championships. (ESPN)

🤝 The Fever also picked up Sophie Cunningham and the No. 19 pick from Phoenix, and Jaelyn Brown from the Dallas Wings in a four team deal.

• The Fever traded NaLyssa Smith to Dallas and their No. 8 draft pick to Connecticut and released Grace Berger. (IndyStar)

🧐 Indiana Sen. Todd Young is one of several members of the Senate Intel Committee who could cause trouble for the confirmation of Tulsi Gabbard, President Trump's pick for director of national intelligence. (Axios)

❄️ Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow to start Groundhog Day 2025, so prepare for six more weeks of winter. (USA Today)

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Welcome to Burb Bites! A new feature where the Axios Indianapolis team dishes out bite-sized dining recs from Indy's booming burbs.

✌🏿 Justin here!

Seasonal menus can be an awesome way for your favorite restaurant to deliver fresh new flavors year-round.

Yes, but: It can be heartbreaking when a standout menu item suddenly goes missing.

• This week's bite is a recommendation with an "act now" clause.

The bite: The Lemon Chicken — parmesan breaded chicken breasts served alongside red potatoes and pesto green beans, all covered in lemon herb sauce — from 101 Beer Kitchen.

The burb: Carmel

My take: The MVP is the sauce, with a fantastic zest that elevates the crispy fried chicken and roasted veggies.

If you go

👋 Arika here, with a theory about my dog Tony.

The big picture: He's a big boy — a 125-pound Cane Corso — with the biggest heart and an even bigger head full of … seemingly nothing?

Here's my theory: That gigantic, gorgeous head of his is actually a goldfish bowl, full of water. And there's a tiny goldfish in there, just doing his best to control this big, goofy mastiff body.

• It explains his complete lack of coordination or grace, his inability to remember anyone he's met less than two dozen times — he's a real-life Dory from "Finding Nemo" — and his fear of all things.
• And by all things I mean bicycles, hats, me in a wig, trash cans, grocery bags and, on at least one occasion, his own farts. Among many, many other things.

What they're barking: The American Kennel Club describes Corsi as "smart, trainable, and of noble bearing … a peerless protector."

State of play: There is little about the description of a typical Corso personality that I recognize in Tony.

Yes, but: There is one important exception. Corsi are said to be intensely loyal to their humans and Tony is nothing if not loyal.

• He is the sweetest, snuggliest and most well-intentioned boy that ever lived and, for the first four years of his life, I had the extraordinary honor of being his emotional support human.

Last year, he returned the favor.

• It was a particularly difficult one for me, but his giant heart and tiny goldfish brain made every day a little better and got me through the hardest ones.
• So, the least I can do is get him through his.

The latest (and worst)