PUEBLO, Colo. – He’s back!

The man with the million-dollar smile, No. 8 Joao Ricardo Vieira, is set to rejoin the premier series pack after missing the past two events in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Billings, Montana.

Taking some time to rest up some upper-body ailments sustained earlier this season, the 39-year-old veteran, who continues to be the oldest regular on tour this year, is expected to resume his chase for what would be a first world title Wednesday night in Everett as Unleash The Beast produces two events over the course of five days!

Prior to getting banged up in Nampa, Idaho, March 28, the veteran had recorded a pair of conversions in three of his past five events on his way to securing third (Jacksonville, Florida), fifth (Little Rock, Arkansas) and seventh-place (Albuquerque, New Mexico) finishes as he remained a constant Top 10 threat.

Earlier in the season, when the Brazilian picked up his first and only event-topping honors of 2024 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, we saw him in prime form, able to best each of his three bovine athletes on his way to the title-earning effort. However, it was also just the second time all season he’s been able to ride three within the same event (joining his flawless 3-for-3 start to the season in Tucson, Arizona).

Of course, winning the 2023 PBR Teams Championship with his Texas Rattlers a few weeks before Unleash The Beast began its 2024 campaign surely gave him some additional motivation to start the season on a strong note.

RELATED: 2024 Unleash The Beast Game Notes: Everett 2024

Overall, the talent has amassed six Top 10 finishes (first, second, third, fifth, seventh, seventh) this season, but somehow has only earned two round wins (coming in Tulsa and Jacksonville).

MORE than capable of still being able to show off his opponents, he’s averaged an 87.46-point score throughout his last six conversions (including rank 89, 89.25 and 90-point dances).

While he’s 904.33 UTB points behind No. 1 Cassio Dias, he’s still got a shot to piece together a few favorable finishes here during the trio of remaining regular season events before attempting to turn things up a notch inside Cowtown Coliseum May 9-12.

And with more than 750 points available inside AT&T Stadium when the postseason shifts to its final stage (2024 World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Championship), we ARE saying there’s a chance!

That journey begins this week, as Vieira prepares to endure an opening round showdown with Buck Nation during the fifth-from-last out of the evening.

With the tour having only come through Everett twice now (2022, 2023), and a pair of fellow veteran Brazilians in No. 2 Eduardo Aparecido and No. 11 Kaique Pacheco victorious during the first pair of stops, are the stars lining up for Vieira to return to action with a BANG?

Fans in the greater Pacific Northwest would be wise to secure tickets to either of this week’s Washington State-based events.

And for those saving up their energy for next month’s 2024 PBR World Finals: Unleash the Beast, be sure to TUNE IN, beginning Wednesday night, as the most skilled circuit in the world begins its rush to the finish line!

With Unleash The Beast preparing to bring the best bull riders in the world to Angels of the Winds Arena Wednesday night during the 21st event of the 2024 premier series campaign April 17-18, let’s take a look at who’s drawing into the lineup during the PBR Everett:

ROUND 1 MATCHUPS *Daniel Keeping vs. Soul King *Cody Jesus vs. Rockville Mauricio Gulla Moreira vs. Slobber Knocker Shane Scott vs. Big Cannon Conner Halverson vs. Smokey Kaiden Loud vs. Huckleberry *Paulo Eduardo Rossetto vs. Crazy Party Dawson Branton vs. Bossed Up Daylon Swearingen vs. Gangster Blues *Alex Cerqueira vs. Nitty Gritty *Jesse Petri vs. Time Bomb Keyshawn Whitehorse vs. Dirty Dangle JaCauy Hale vs. Kwik Lock Mason Taylor vs. Brown Bomber Leonardo Castro vs. Sweatlodge Testified Felipe Furlan vs. Barely Legal Wyatt Rogers vs. Tatonka Cort McFadden vs. Smoke Down Alvaro Ariel vs. War Train Callum Miller vs. Little Tex Boudreaux Campbell vs. Sharp Shooter Ednelio Almeida vs. Kamikaze Jaxton Mortensen vs. Pearl Snap Elijah Monnett vs. Fort Knox Brady Oleson vs. Sweet Train Ezekiell Mitchell vs. Electric Kitty Andrew Alvidrez vs. Soul Glo Vitor Losnake vs. WSM’s Time In A Bottle Kyler Oliver vs. Texas Rain Sage Steele Kimzey vs. Gucci Kaique Pacheco vs. Cowboy Tuxedo Thiago Salgado vs. Dirty Barstool Julio Cesar Marques vs. Tim Buck Two *Koltin Hevalow vs. Bud Man Brady Fielder vs. Wishful Thinking Joao Ricardo Vieira vs. Buck Nation Alan de Souza vs. Get At Me John Crimber vs. Try Me *Eduardo Aparecido vs. Crawfish Richard Cassio Dias vs. Dirty Little Sailor * denotes a rematch OUT BECAUSE OF INJURY/OTHER Austin Richardson (Injury) Dalton Kasel (Injury) Caden Bunch (Injury) Wingson Henrique da Silva (Injury) Clay Guiton (Injury) Jose Vitor Leme (Injury) Ben Bode (Injury) Marco Rizzo (Injury) Eli Vastbinder (Injury) Jake Morinec (Injury) Ederson Santos (Injury) Silvano Alves (Declined) Bob Mitchell (Excused Absence) ROUND 1 REMATCHES Alex Cerqueira vs. Nitty Gritty (85.5 points in Dickinson, North Dakota) Cody Jesus vs. Rockville (4.15 seconds in Las Vegas, Nevada) Daniel Keeping vs. Soul King (2.54 seconds in Manchester, New Hampshire; 4.05 seconds in Albuquerque, New Mexico; 7.71 seconds in Johnstown, Pennsylvania) Eduardo Aparecido vs. Crawfish Richard (2.31 seconds in Minneapolis, Minnesota) Jesse Petri vs. Time Bomb (86 points in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) Koltin Hevalow vs. Bud Man (re-ride issued in Billings, Montana) Paulo Eduardo Rossetto vs. Crazy Party (2.01 seconds in Fort Worth, Texas) NO. 1 CASSIO DIAS BRINGS 525.33-POINT LEAD INTO PACIFIC NORTHWEST Able to secure his UTB-best 13th round win of the 2024 season last weekend, courtesy of his 88.25-point strike aboard Woody during Saturday night’s second round, the 22-year-old continues to lead the tour with several near-recording-breaking totals, including a pack-high 34 conversions, tour-best eight 90-point rides, standings-leading 1,395.33 UTB points, etc.

Despite his 1-for-4 result last weekend, he is 100% still THE rider to watch this weekend despite his 1-for-4 showcase in Billings.

Continuing to battle a nagging knee injury, visibly noticeable as the Brazilian has briefly limped his way off the dirt for several weeks now, Dias recently shared with CBS Sports Network’s Kate Harrison that his Kansas City Outlaws’ coach J.W. Hart gave him one word to live by during this final month of competition:

Persevere (verb): To keep at something in spite of difficulties, opposition or discouragement.

Exactly what the young Brazilian has been doing throughout his stretch push despite dealing with his banged-up knee, the rankest bovines on the planet and fiercest competition the industry has to offer:

Knocking his bulls down and riding like cowboys do. With some old-fashioned grit and toughness.

Set to dance with Dirty Little Sailor during the rare midweek showdown’s opening Wednesday night round, the world’s top-ranked rider will do all that he can to ensure himself a score while fending off the likes of No. 2 Eduardo Aparecido (who just won his second event title of the season en route to positioning himself for a late-season push of his own) and pack hopefuls inside Angel of the Winds Arena April 17-18.

PBR EVERETT: WHO’S IN? WHO’S OUT? JRV isn’t the only veteran set to return to the chutes Wednesday night, as both Cody Jesus and Jesse Petri are also set to rejoin the pack after taking a week off following their performances in Sioux Falls.

Sitting comfortably at No. 14, Jesus has essentially already clinched his spot in the postseason. But if he hopes to keep his run going into AT&T Stadium, he may need to ride a few bulls here during the final stretch. More importantly, he will need to ensure his lower-body injuries are back in a good spot, should he actually want to make some noise once the three-stage gauntlet rolls around.

For Petri, occupying spot No. 34, he’s technically within the bubble as things sit with three events remaining. But having seen how capable and dedicated some of the tour’s recent Qualifier List and backfill athletes have been the past month, if not all season, Petri shouldn’t be considered a lock to qualify for competition inside Cowtown Coliseum just yet.

Petri will prepare to dance with Time Bomb during a Round 1 rematch, while Jesus will look to snap his eight-out buckoff streak Wednesday going head-to-head with Rockville in a rematch of his own.

Add in some fresh blood in Elijah Monnett (who captured a big PWVT win in Fresno, California, earlier this month, now set to make his UTB debut), Shane Scott (who won it all during his overall PBR debut last weekend during a PWVT event in Eugene, Oregon, and is also primed to debut in his first premier series event Wednesday) and Jaxton Mortensen (set to appear in his first UTB event of the 2024 season thanks to a pair of runner-up efforts in both Fresno and Oakland, California) via this week’s Qualifier List, it's apparent these athletes have what it takes to compete.

Daniel Keeping and Alvaro Ariel (who have been around for the tour’s past two events, albeit a combined 0-for-10 throughout the past two events) also draw back into the lineup Wednesday night, where they’ll look to take advantage of the late-season opportunity to climb the standings.

With Eli Vastbinder, Jake Morinec and Ben Bode (after making UTB debut last weekend in Billings) set to miss the midweek showdown after picking up injuries a few nights ago, and both Silvano Alves (declined) and Bob Mitchell (Excused Absence) out as well, there will undoubtedly be a few extra premier series chances awarded this weekend.

The real question remains: Who’s going to grasp it and make a run to the 2024 PBR World Finals?

After making quite the name for himself while seeing his PBR Teams draft stock continue to rise with each event he showed off his expanding skillset, rookie Marco Rizzo is set to miss the remainder of the 2024 season after suffering a lower-body injury during last weekend’s event-opener in Billings. Suffering a nasty leg injury after his spur was caught up in the bull’s flank rope, he was eventually taken to the hospital, where he would endure successful surgery, albeit while accepting his rookie season would come to a close.

Going 5-for-16 overall throughout the seven premier series events he was able to fit in prior to the injury, Rizzo made his way onto the 5-on-5, talent-seeking radar during his UTB debut, eventually taking home a ninth-place finish during his 1-for-2 showing in Houston, Texas. Having secured his career-first round win in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, (via an impressive 87-point journey aboard Bo Man), Rizzo parlayed it into a healthy fourth-place showing, now with three Top 10 (third, fourth, ninth) efforts throughout his first seven events attended.

Good friends with both No. 2 John Crimber and No. 24 Clay Guiton (who’s hoping to return from a rough set of bumps and bruises sustained in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, last month soon enough), he’ll be undoubtedly rooting on his pair of besties while he recovers this spring. Of course, all while keeping his eye on the 2024 PBR Teams New Rider Draft, set to take place on May 29 in Nashville!

RELATED: Oklahoma Wildcatters, New York Mavericks assemble initial rosters at 2024 PBR Teams Expansion Draft

FOLLOW ALONG Representing the 21st event of the 2024 Unleash The Beast season, the rare midweek showdown is set to entertain fans in Everett, Washington, via the two-day, three-round showcase, which is set to begin Wednesday, April 17 at 7:45 p.m. PST, with Round 1 airing live via RidePass on Pluto TV.

Round 2’s action will begin Thursday, April 18 at 7:45 p.m. PST, followed by the championship go, with all of Thursday’s action airing live on CBS Sports Network beginning at 8 p.m. PST.

RELATED: Where To Watch: Everett

Fans can also catch all three rounds of action on the TUDN Spanish broadcast, with Round 1 set to air on Thursday, April 18 at Noon PST and all of championship Thursday’s outs airing on Friday, April 19 at Noon PST.

Fans can stay tuned to PBR.com and PBR social media channels throughout the weekend for the latest scores, wrecks, injury updates and beyond as Unleash The Beast prepares to invade Angel of the Winds Arena April 17-18!

Photo courtesy of Josh Homer/Bull Stock Media