LAS VEGAS – Part of enjoying the Las Vegas strip involves getting some quality steps in, as the city has too much to offer to stay still for too long.

Each of the league’s eight competing teams had differing paths leading into Friday night’s opening round of PBR Teams Championship action.

They earned their keep in different ways, primarily attempting to ensure they were one of eight squads which got a chance to compete inside T-Mobile Arena and dressing up their respective regular season resumes from there.

However, once the fireworks began inside the packed barn, all of that went out the window as more than 10,000 fans sat on the edge of their seats waiting to see which teams would survive the perilous Friday night slate.

A team who hasn’t been afraid to log a few extra steps, reps and anything that gives them an edge when the postseason rolls around?

The Missouri Thunder, one of the hardest-working groups around.

“I’ve been telling these guys all year, I promise you, everybody here is a great bull rider. There are great riders on every single team, everybody rides good. It’s going to be the team that works harder than everybody else – at the gym, at training, at the practice pen and at everything in general,” Thunder Head Coach Ross Coleman said.

“They physically and mentally get better every day and we talk about that all the time. I love seeing these guys wanting to be better.”

Having entered the inaugural 2022 PBR Teams Championship ranked No. 6, the Thunder found themselves heading home early when the opening night of games concluded.

Revisiting the chalkboard in 2023, the team went on to survive a pair of Last Chance Games before eventually dropping a Championship Sunday showdown to the Austin Gamblers … meaning the Thunder had never technically won a head-to-head postseason game in franchise history before Friday night’s showcase inside T-Mobile Arena.

Of course that changed less than an hour into this year's playoff gauntlet after they took down the very team which sent them packing last fall. And while Coleman denied any revenge narratives in play, he admitted it feels good to see his team continuing to move in the right direction when it comes to postseason success.

“No, no, not even. Straight up we’re trying to control whatever we can control. That’s the most important thing about this. People can start thinking about who’s playing who and whatever. But you know, you know Jose (Vitor Leme) is over there. Jose is seriously one of the best bull riders I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’ve seen a lot of bull riders,” Coleman shared.

“It’s just so cool to see our guys win with not as much experience and they are drinking the Kool-Aid. They are wanting to be Jose one day, they want to be like that and I want our guys to know that no matter what happens, we’re going to continue to get better every time. No matter what. I’ve seen the improvement but we need the experience.”

When the dust settled late into the evening, the Texas Rattlers, Florida Freedom and Austin Gamblers (via the Last Chance Game) had earned their spots in Saturday night’s lineup by emerging victorious in some form or fashion.

However, one team stood out above the rest in stirring up some Round 1 noise.

None were able to outscore the red and yellow group, who posted an opening-night best 265.75 points (3-for-5 overall) during the opening game of the night.

Thanks to the team’s trio of standout cowboys in Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, Andrew Alvidrez and Boudreaux Campbell, that is.

Alvidrez eventually sealed the deal for the Thunder as the team’s closer, delivering a quality 89.5-point go aboard Almost Sober. Yet, it was the 26-year-old Brazilian in Rossetto that sparked the team’s electric run in the first place.

With just five outs potentially separating any given squad from a date in the Last Chance Game, Thunder riders understood how crucial each and every opportunity was for them.

Exactly why the team’s qualified ride leader and lead-off man in Rossetto didn’t waste any time in getting the show started … during the very first out of the night!

“Momentum is so real in this world that when Paulo starts us off and everybody is all hyped up and pumped and they get to see greatness right in front of us,” Coleman shared after the win.

“Then all of a sudden, boom, Boudreaux back-to-back and I love it. I love our momentum and I love Paulo starting us off, it’s good stuff.

Rossetto and Alvidrez have been rocking with the Thunder for a while, but it’s the latter which the organization acquired in exchange for future draft capital. Since trading for Campbell earlier this spring, ahead of the league’s third season began, Coleman has been an outspoken advocate for his guy Campbell.

And while the talent has experienced some ups and downs over the course of the 2024 season, THIS was the guy Coleman and company sent their 2025 first-round selection away for.

Knowing Coleman set his guys up for success via slam-dunk rematch efforts, Campbell improved to a perfect 2-for-2 atop Baldy, scored 87.5 points Friday, while Rossetto upped his flawless streak aboard Mike’s Motive to a stunning four in a row.

The perfect pairings went a long way in allowing Missouri to spread their wings and fly away with the big dub.

At the same time, sometimes it’s just about soaking in the vibes and enjoying it all. Being in the right place at the right time.

And for the Thunder, their right place seems to be Las Vegas.

“There’s just a crazy amount of great energy here. Positive good energy about the whole situation. Bull riding is great no matter if you’re in the backyard riding in the practice pen or riding here at T-Mobile. I’ve been all over but the atmosphere of this PBR Teams Finals is just off the hook. We’re here in Vegas and it just feels good. It feels really, really good and the guys enjoy that. They feed off each other and they love it here,” Coleman concluded.

“Learn from our mistakes and that’s exactly the truth. If we can continue to get better no matter what, if we win, if we can win and learn like we did tonight … It’s still for real. We’re happy about the win but there were two more bulls we should’ve rode. We were damn close to riding them and we know we can do that, we know we have it in us. We’re serious about shit and we’re going to get better tomorrow. We’re going to continue to keep chipping away and that’s what we’ve got to do. That’s the best time you can coach these guys.”

Set to take on the No. 1-seeded Kansas City Outlaws, can the red-hot Missouri Thunder knock off the 2024 regular season champions? Or will they be forced to reignite some Last Chance Game magic from last season?

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media