ST. LOUIS, Mo. – For the 25th time in history the PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) elite Unleash The Beast will buck into St. Louis, holding the St. Louis Invitational on Dec. 2-3 at Enterprise Center.
For two nights only, 35 of the best bull riders in the world will go head-to-head against the sport’s rankest bovine athletes, showcasing the ultimate showdown of man vs. beast in one of the most exciting live sporting events to witness.
During the 2023 season, the PBR will celebrate its 30th anniversary since 20 cowboys broke away from the traditional rodeo with the belief that bull riding could be a standalone sport. Since their trailblazing initiative, the PBR has grown into a global phenomenon awarding nearly $300 million in prize money.
The upcoming PBR St. Louis Invitational will be just the second event of the new individual season. Eventgoers will watch on as riders vie for early points in the race to be crowned the 2023 PBR World Champion.
When the PBR last travelled to the Gateway to the West in February 2022, the podium for both the riders and bulls was led by the athletes who would be crowned the 2022 World Champions later that season. Daylon Swearingen (Piffard, New York) delivered a clutch, 90-point ride in the championship round to clinch the event win, while Ridin Solo (Cord McCoy/Bill McCarty) was crowned the YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event.
Punctuating his win with a monstrous 90-point ride on WSM’s Jive Turkey (WSM Auctioneers/Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger), his first 90-point ride of the season, Swearingen’s golden effort earned him 137 world points, elevating him from No. 4 to No. 2 in the standings and positioning him within 61.34 points of the top rank.
The victory was the first of three for the young New Yorker, including the prestigious PBR World Finals, which propelled him to being crowned the 2022 PBR World Champion at season’s end.
Throughout 2022, Swearingen went an impressive 26-for-60, covering 43.33% of his animal athlete opponents. He earned $1,697,481.63, including $1,394,000 for his career-first PBR World Championship and World Finals event win. Swearingen, 23, is now 17th in all-time money earned in PBR competition with his career earnings topping more than $2.21 million.
Historically, more than half (13 of 24) of the PBR’s past events in St. Louis have been won by World Champions. Prior to Swearingen’s win in 2022, two-time PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme (Riabs do Rio Pardo, Brazil) was the last rider to accomplish the feat, victorious in 2020 en route to his first tile.
A complete list of past World Champion event winners in St. Louis includes: three-time PBR World Champion Adriano Moraes (1997, 1998, 2004), two-time PBR World Champion Chris Shivers (2000, 2001), two-time PBR World Champion Justin McBride (2003, 2005), 2010 PBR World Champion Renato Nunes (2008), 2008 PBR World Champion Guilherme Marchi (2011) and 2018 PBR World Champion Kaique Pacheco (2015, 2017).
The remaining PBR St. Louis Invitational event winners are: Charles Litchfield (1999), Gary Richard (2002), Dustin Hall (2006), Matt Bohon (2007), Wiley Petersen (2009), Jody Newberry (2010), Fabiano Vieira (2013), Joao Ricardo Vieira (2014), Shane Proctor (2016), Tanner Byrne (2018) and Chase Outlaw (2019).
For Ridin Solo, he delivered the top bull score of the 2022 PBR St. Louis Invitational, when he was marked 46 points for his 3.69-second buckoff of Mason Taylor (Maypearl, Texas).
At season’s end, Ridin Solo earned his first World Champion Bull title via a 46.47-point world average, finishing 0.69 points ahead of runner-up Woopaa (Barker Bulls/Hookin’ W Ranch).
The bull riding action for the PBR St. Louis Invitational begins with Round 1 at 7:45 p.m. CT on Friday, December 2, followed by Round 2 and the championship round at 6:45 p.m. CT on Saturday, December 3. All competing bull riders will get on one bull each in Rounds 1-2. Following Round 2 Saturday evening, the riders’ individual two-round scores will be totaled with the Top 12 advancing to the championship round for one more out and a chance at the event title.
Tickets for the two-day event are on sale now, and start at $15, taxes and fees not included. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com and PBR.com, at the Enterprise Center Box Office or by calling PBR customer service at 1-800-732-1727.
Two-day ticket packages will also be available, offering fans up to a 20% discount on select price levels.
PBR Elite Seats are available for avid fans who want an exclusive VIP experience while enjoying the world’s top bull riding circuit. These tickets, available in three tiers, offer premium seats, personal on-site concierge at the PBR fan loyalty booth, $20 concession voucher and souvenir credential and lanyard.
Available for $250, the PBR Bronze Elite Seats also include a post-event photo on the dirt which will be available for digital download after the event.
Priced at $350 is the PBR VIP Elite Seats and $395 is the PBR Premier Elite Seat, which include a 30th anniversary collectible item, pre-show backstage tour with PBR talent and photo on the dirt in front of the bucking chutes that will be presented in a PBR 30th Anniversary Season branded frame to take home after the show and also available for digital download.
Additionally, the PBR Premier Elite Seats, which will offer the best views in the venue, will also include a 2023 PBR Yearbook.
For more information about the PBR and to see the full 2023 PBR Unleash The Beast schedule, visit PBR.com.
About PBR (Professional Bull Riders):
PBR is the world’s premier bull riding organization. More than 500 bull riders compete in more than 200 events annually across the televised PBR Unleash The Beast tour (UTB), which features the top bull riders in the world; the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT); the PBR Touring Pro Division (TPD); and the PBR’s international circuits in Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico. In 2022, PBR launched the PBR Team Series—eight teams of the world’s best bull riders competing for a new championship—as well as the PBR Challenger Series with more than 60 annual events nationwide. The organization’s digital assets include PBR RidePass on Pluto TV, which is home to Western sports. PBR is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment company. For more information, visit PBR.com, or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/PBR, Twitter at Twitter.com/PBR, and YouTube at YouTube.com/PBR.