The best bull riders – and bulls – on the planet are converging at Fort Worth’s Dickies Arena for the 30th Anniversary PBR (Professional Bull Riders) World Finals to be held the next two weekends (May 12-14 and May 18-21).
The richest bull riding event in the world features a purse of more than $2.7 million and is set to bring to a climactic end the feverish race to be crowned 2023 PBR World Champion.
Fort Worth, the site of PBR’s first-ever event in April 1993 – won by Texan and PBR co-founder Cody Lambert – now comes full circle to host the historic 30th PBR World Finals. The World Finals returns to Dickies for the second straight year after being held in Fort Worth for the first time in 2022.
Throughout the seven days and eight rounds of competition, 40 of the world’s best bull riders will duke it out as one of the most ferocious title races in PBR history concludes.
In this season’s highly competitive action, six riders have risen to the No. 1 rank. Kaique Pacheco concluded the 23-event regular season ranked first with a 74-point lead over No. 2 Jose Vitor Leme, who won the championship in 2020 and 2021. Pacheco, however, will not compete due to injury, opening the door for the remainder of the field to contend for the champion’s gold buckle.
The world’s top 10 riders are within less than 500 points of one another, and 10 riders this year qualified for their first World Finals – two in the top 10.
The top 10 also features a strong Texas presence with five riders ranked inside the threshold hailing from the Lone Star State: No. 3 Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe), No. 4 Cooper Davis (Jasper), No. 6 Andrew Alvidrez (Seminole), No. 7 Boudreaux Campbell (Crockett) and No. 10 Daniel Keeping (Montague). Should any of these contenders be crowned the 2023 PBR World Champion they would become the first Texan to earn the coveted gold buckle since Davis in 2016.
There is a lot of pride, prestige and money on the line. Alongside the riders, who will be vying for the PBR World Championship and $1 million bonus, the PBR’s fiercest bulls will also be competing for the 2023 YETI PBR World Champion Bull honor and accompanying $100,000 bonus.
The field is led by powerhouse Cool Whip, the No. 1 ranked bull who is chasing his first YETI PBR World Championship after being crowned the 2022 ABBI Classic World Champion. Cool Whip leads No. 2 and defending champion Ridin Solo by a mere 0.41 points as the Oklahoma-raised bovine attempts to come from behind and become just the sixth back-to-back PBR World Champion bull in history.
The two have been neck-and-neck all season. Both have been named the YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event a PBR-best four times.
The PBR World Finals will also anoint a YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Finals, a distinction that carries a $25,000 bonus for posting the top combined score.
Cool Whip bucked to a 45.97-point world average and will travel to the World Finals unridden in his 18 eligible outs for the 2023 title. He has been ridden just once in 39 career outs across all levels of competition.
Ridin Solo has made a late-season surge. He currently holds a 45.56-point world average.
Ridin Solo won the 2022 World Championship in Fort Worth when he held off Bull Woopaa, the 2021 World Champion. Bull Woopaa was retired earlier this season.
Like Cool Whip, Ridin Solo has been ridden just once. He tossed one would-be rider in 2.86 seconds.
Looking at other bull contenders, Moonlight Party, who is ranked No. 7 in the standings with a 45.22 point average, will attempt to become the first Canadian-born bovine athlete to be crowned a PBR World Champion Bull.
As an added layer of excitement, ABBI (American Bucking Bull Inc.) will buck roughly 25 bulls during Round 1 of the PBR World Finals when the top 3- and 4-year-old up-and-coming bulls will go up against the best riders in the nation. These four-legged athletes will compete for an estimated purse of more than $45,000, with the champion to be awarded a check for an estimated $7,500.
On May 17, PBR World Finals Week will feature its Dirty 30 celebration at Billy Bob’s in the Fort Worth Stockyards, headlined by renowned comedian Larry the Cable Guy and country music stars Ryan Bingham and Chris Janson. Dirty 30 is one of a myriad of events being held in the iconic Stockyards and historic Cowtown Coliseum, including Women’s Rodeo World Championship Week and the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo.
During the opening weekend of the PBR World Finals, Cole Hauser, the new brand ambassador and creative partner of PBR, will begin creating a new brand campaign. Fans in attendance on Friday, May 12, and Saturday, May 13, will witness and be a part of elements of the campaign to be seen across traditional and social media as well as PBR programming on CBS Television Network and CBS Sports Network.
Single-day tickets are on sale now and start at $27.50, plus fees. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com and PBR.com, at the Dickies Arena Box Office or by calling PBR customer service at 1-800-732-1727. The Dickies Arena Box Office is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. and on event days.
For fans planning to watch the PBR World Finals at home, here’s the TV coverage schedule:
Friday, May 12, 8 p.m. on CBS Sports Network (Round 1)
Saturday, May 13, 8 p.m. on CBSSN (Round 2)
Sunday, May 14, noon on CBS Television Network (Highlight Special)
Sunday, May 14, 2 p.m. on CBSSN (Round 3)
Thursday, May 18, 8 p.m. on CBSSN (Round 4)
Friday, May 19, 8 p.m. on CBSSN (Round 5)
Saturday, May 20, 8 p.m. on CBSSN (Round 6)
Sunday, May 21, 11 a.m. on CBS Television Network (Highlight Special)
Sunday, May 21, 2 p.m. on CBSSN (Round 7 and Championship Round)
PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of every PBR Unleash The Beast and Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event. PBR RidePass is available on desktops, laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv.
For more information about the 2023 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast and to see the complete event schedule, visit the PBR website.
