PBR Team Championships

The Rodeo Trail News

Cowboys Claim The Gold Buckle At PBR Team Championships

November 1st, 2025

Las Vegas, NV - The 2025 Team Championships at T-Mobile Arena delivered three incredible nights of rank rides, broken bones, multiple 90+ point Monster rides and a serious redemption as the Carolina Cowboys battled their way to the top, taking home the championship title in true cowboy fashion. This event is truly like nothing I have seen before in the western/rodeo world. The idea of this being a legit team event brings a whole new level of excitement to the fans and a new level of income opportunity for these cowboys! If you’re new to the idea of a “team” rodeo event, here’s the breakdown of how the bracket coming into the finals was placed. In May of 2025, the teams have their annual “draft pick”, where the coaches and teams are able to select their riders. The cowboys then compete together on their team against other teams for the team standing, which will determine their bracket placement coming into the Championships. Night one is a redemption round with 4 games between teams ranked #4-#10 in the standings. The winners from each of those rounds then move to night 2 to battle against the teams ranked #1-#3, with another redemption round between the three losing teams of each of those games. From there, the winners go onto the third and final day for the semi finals, and the final round to crown the champions.

Night One: The Battle For Redemption

The opening night set the tone for an action-packed weekend under the Las Vegas lights. Game one was a win for the #4 ranked team, the Arizona Ridge Riders vs. #7 Missouri Thunder. Game two was the first of many wins for the #5 ranked team, the Carolina Cowboys vs. Nashville Stampede. Game three and four however were both a three-way game, meaning it was the last chance for redemption to make it to night two. Game three way played between #8 Kansas City Outlaws, #9 Oklahoma Wildcatters, & #10 the New York Mavericks, where the Mavericks advanced to game four. But the hope of championship Sunday was cut short for the Mavericks, when they were defeated by Missouri Thunder as they clawed their way back through the last chance game against Nashville and NY.

But this was not the only farewell given in this arena on Friday night. The night came to a close on a bittersweet note as fans and cowboys alike bid farewell to one of the sports great animal athletes - Preacher’s Kid, the legendary bull co-owned by K-C Bucking Bulls & Rd Cattle. With an impressive almost 90% buckoff rate, 86 career buckoffs, and only 10 qualified rides, “PK” as K-C calls him, bucked for his last time under the Vegas lights. As fans cheered for this icon of the PBR world, PK made his final victory lap around the arena, like he always does, not once but twice, as if he knew this would be the last time the crowd would be cheering him on. Not to worry though, PK’s progeny are already in the line up to make their future PBR debut, and we have no doubts they will be as exceptional as their father!

Preachers Kid taking his final victory lap in T-Mobile Arena

Night Two: The Highs & Lows No One Was Expecting

Night two brought the heat to the NV desert with games 5,6,7,and another last chance game against the top 3 ranked teams from the season. The Arizona Ridge Riders dominated the #3 ranked team, the Texas Rattlers in game 5 automatically sending them into Championship Sunday. The Carolina Cowboys conquered yet another game against the #2 ranked team, the 2024 Team Championship winners, the Austin Gamblers. But the most surprising game was between Missouri Thunder storming past the #1 ranked team, the Florida Freedom. Missouri secured their Semi-Finals spot, sending Florida to the last chance game, for the battle between the top #3 teams. Talk about an even playing field! But it was the Texas Rattlers who slithered through the last chance round to earn a ticket to Championship Sunday. Eliminated the Austin Gamblers and Florida Freedom. A defeat that no one expected.

John Crimber vs. Man Hater

The Matchup of the night, and possibly the entire season came when **John Crimber**, the team season MVP faced off with **“Man Hater”**, the #1 ranked bull in the PBR owned by **Jane Clark & Gene Owen**. Crimber delivered quite the show for all his “haters” with an incredibly flawless 92 point ride that left fans hollering and out of their seats with excitement. Crimber gave **Kate Harrison** a message for all those haters, who said “he couldn’t ride ‘em away from his hand. There you freakin go” he said in his post ride interview. His language was a bit more colorful but we won't share that on this page. This was a real match made in bull riding Heaven, captured perfectly in the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas lights.

Night Three: Cowboys Conquer

The final night came down to a semi-finals battle for who would play in the championship game. Game 9 was won by Missouri Thunder matched up against the Texas Rattlers. A game fought lightning vs. fang, till the last round that the Thunder cracked across the arena, sending Missouri to the final round. Game 10 was no surprise to be won by again, the Carolina Cowboys against the Arizona Ridge Riders.

The Cowboys fought tooth, nail, and collarbone for this win - literally. After losing key rider Jess Lockwood in game 10 to a broken collarbone, the team only fought harder. Their determination, unity, and sheer willpower carried them through one of the most hard-fought finals in PBR Team Series history.

When the dust settled, the Carolina Cowboys stood tall as the 2025 Team Series Champions. Their stand out performer, Clay Guiton, was named the Championship MVP, closing out the season with grit, power, and a whole lot of heart behind every rider on this team.

From record rides to emotional farewells, this year’s championship was a testament to what makes professional bull riding truly legendary - courage, partnership, and a little bit of lady luck from Viva Las Vegas. As the lights dimmed in the T-Mobile Arena for another year, one thing was clear: the 2025 PBR Team Series didn’t just crown champions - it crowned legends.