CHEYENNE, Wyo. – At the first-ever PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Team Series event in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the Missouri Thunder were dominant, going a perfect 2-0 in gameplay to be crowned the event champions and surge to an early lead in the PBR Team Series standings.

“Amazing day,” said Missouri Thunder Co-Head Coach Ross Coleman moments after the win. “I love everything about the teams. Great cowboys.” 

As action got underway at the world’s largest outdoor rodeo on Monday evening, the Thunder earned the first-ever game win in PBR Team Series history, shutting out the Ariat Texas Rattlers 89.25-0.

In another first achieved by the Thunder, the squad’s Adriano Salgado recorded the first qualified ride in the new league, earning the historic score atop American Gangster.

The Missouri Thunder then clinched the event win early in the competition on Tuesday night.

As one of three winning teams from Monday, following an Arizona Ridge Riders (1-1) loss to the Carolina Cowboys (1-1) in the first game on Tuesday evening, the title of PBR Team Series: Cheyenne event winner came down to the contest between the Thunder and Nashville Stampede.

Compliments of a crucial score from Andrew Alvidrez, the Thunder bested the Stampede by one ride score, becoming the lone team at the Daddy of ‘em All to go a perfect 2-0 in gameplay.

When the bonus round got underway, Thunder co-Head Coaches Coleman and Luke Snyder elected to give Australian sensation Callum Miller a chance to compete after not starting in either game.

Matched up with Alakazam, Miller could not reach the 8; however, the Thunder’s 2-0 record in gameplay was unmatched and clinched the victory.   

In the overall PBR Team Series standings, the Thunder hold the early No. 1 rank, having amassed 263.5 aggregate points and one bonus round point. They are one game ahead of the No. 2 Carolina Cowboys.

With five teams advancing to the bonus round with 1-1 records, the final eight outs were crucial to set the remainder of the standings.

Daylon Swearingen delivered what is now the highest-marked ride of the PBR Team Series, riding I’m Legit Too (Hale Cattle Co.) for 92.5 points, cementing the Cowboys’ No. 2 rank in the standings.

Two-time PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme also delivered a mammoth 90-point bonus round ride for the Austin Gamblers, riding Montana Jacket (Berg/Coleman/Ogden) for 90.75 points. Earlier on Tuesday night, Leme knocked down a clutch ride in the bottom of the fifth frame of the Gamblers’ game against the Oklahoma Freedom to propel the Gamblers to a dramatic come-from-behind-win and leave Cheyenne No. 3 in the standings. 

The PBR Team Series will next travel to T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, for Outlaw Days, the first of eight three-day team homestands in the 2022 season. The event will be on Friday, August 5 at 7:45 p.m. CT, Saturday, August 6 at 6:45 p.m. CT and Sunday, August 7 at 11 a.m. CT.

The game matchups for the opening night of competition for Outlaw Days on August 5 are:

• Nashville Stampede vs. Ariat Texas Rattlers
• Austin Gamblers vs. Carolina Cowboys
• Oklahoma Freedom vs. Missouri Thunder
• Kansas City Outlaws vs. Arizona Ridge Riders

CBS Sports will air a one-hour highlight show from the season-launch PBR Team Series event in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on Sunday, July 31 at 1 p.m. ET.

PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer replays of all the PBR Team Series action from Cheyenne. Check https://pluto.tv/en/live-tv/pbr-ridepass for the latest programming schedule.

Missouri Thunder: 174.25
Nashville Stampede: 87

The Missouri Thunder continued to ride supreme in Cheyenne Tuesday evening, winning their second game in as many days when they defeated the Nashville Stampede by one ride score. As both teams entered the showdown fresh off Monday night victories, the intensity was undeniable from the moment the first chute gate cracked open.

First out, Jesse Petri (Dublin, Texas) outlasted Cold Chill (D&H Cattle Co./Futrell) to give the Thunder a brief 85.75-point lead. Not to be outdone, Thiago Salgado (Navirai, Brazil) gave the Nashville Stampede a 1.25-point lead when he reached the whistle atop Whiplash (Blake Sharp/Floyd Lowery/CB &Traci Lee) for 87 points. While the second round of riders yielded a buckoff for the Thunder, the Stampede was awarded a re-ride following Fernando Henrique Novais’s (Pereira Barreto, Brazil) trip with Stone Colder (D&H Cattle Company).

As the game rolled on, the Missouri Thunder righted the ship when Andrew Alvidrez (Seminole, Texas) kept in perfect time with Chanler’s Dream (Universal Pro Rodeo) for 88.5 points, earning the team its second qualified ride and go-ahead score. Unable to keep his team even with the Thunder, 2018 PBR World Champion Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) was upended by Shake & Bake (Ty Rinaldo TZ Bucking Bulls) in 3.17 seconds.

Following buckoffs from Clayton Sellars (Fruitland Park, Florida) for the Thunder and Joao Henrique Lucas (Bastos, Brazil) for the Stampede, the Thunder found themselves with one out left, while the Stampede had two, each having a viable pathway to victory. The Thunder’s first-round draft pick, Colten Fritzlan (Rifle, Colorado), was unable to clinch the win for his team, bested by Off Campus (Dakota Rodeo/Brian & Ashley Pintar/Clay Struve/Chad Berger), opening the door for the Stampede’s Novais and Lucas Fideles Souza (Barnstable, Massachusetts) to make a come-from-behind push for the win. However, the two Stampede riders were unable to rise to the occasion, allowing the Thunder to win the game 174.25-87.

After the game, the Thunder (2-0) advanced to the bonus round with an unblemished record, while the Stampede (1-1) readied for their final out with a split record.

“We couldn’t be more happy with this win,” said Missouri Thunder Co-Head Coach Luke Snyder. “We are the first team, I think, to go in with a perfect record at the first inaugural Teams event. The boys showed up with a fire in their eyes. We just love the camaraderie of this, and it’s just going to lead us into a great six months.” 

“You know when you’re at the Daddy of ‘Em All,” said Missouri Thunder’s Andrew Alvidrez. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve dreamt of being here, and now that we’re here, I’m just tickled. I’m thankful.”