WICHITA, Kan. – When a cowboy wins two of the first three events of this season’s 2025 Unleash The Beast session, it’s hard not to shine light on his competitive start.

When the kid is 19-year-old superstar John Crimber, who happens to double as not only the 2024 PBR Teams MVP but the premier series pack’s standout leader, you give him flowers, a cookie, a glass of milk and whatever he asks for, really.

THAT’S how dominant he’s been here to start his second UTB season. 

RELATED: Crimber driven by world title aspirations as he notches second win of 2025

Leading the tour in points, round wins, event wins, 90-pointers and beyond, he’s been the definition of electric as he continues to settle into his sophomore campaign. Except this time around, he’s not the new kid on the block. 

He’s the top dawg everybody’s chasing.

Set to dance with Sometimes I Fly during the final out of Friday night’s opening round, the man who already holds a substantial 172-point lead over No. 2 Dalton Kasel is primed for a rematch with the very bull he bested back in Tucson, Arizona, for a sound 87.25 points as he earned his inaugural victory of the season. 

We won’t guarantee the talent lasts the requisite 8 above the bucking bovine. 

But safe money says he’ll have a sincere shot of making his way to the scoreboard on night one. 

Knowing he’s either gone 3-for-3 (both in Tucson, Arizona, and St. Louis, Missouri) or 0-for-2 (in Ontario, California) this season means we’ll know how hot he is come Friday night. And if he hears the whistle, we know a good 40 riders or so who might be happy for the kid but won’t be thrilled for their own odds of picking up an early-season win. 

RELATED: By the Numbers: Second-year star John Crimber doubles down in St. Louis

Naturally, there are plenty of productive competitors fans can keep an eye on this weekend.

Julio Cesar Marques is coming off a fiery 3-for-3 effort of his own last weekend, now occupying the No. 6 rank after his runner-up effort. 

That would be skipping over the likes of Kasel, Jose Vitor Leme and company who didn’t have ideal performances in Week 3. We expect several of those veterans atop the pack to bounce back, 100%.

Hell, Mason Taylor seems to have turned back the clock a bit, looking like the young star who exploded onto the scene several years back. Lurking just outside the Top 10 with a 5-for-6 record in this year's long rounds, he remains a threat to win it all in 2025.

RELATED: What to Watch For: No. 11 Mason Taylor thriving early in 2025 long rounds 

However, this weekend’s main source of drama revolves around the season’s first set of cuts, with the Top 35-ranked cowboys set to continue their journey chasing down the 2025 PBR World Championship and riders ranked below said cutline regulated to Pendleton Whiskey Velocity Tour action. 

Guys who missed time at the beginning of the season will be allotted some additional events, thus how we got up to 45 contestants last weekend. 

But guys without any qualified rides at this point are 100% risking relegation down to Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour action. And most of them only have one more weekend on UTB to prove their status. 

Knowing each of Joao Ricardo Vieira, Derek Kolbaba, Boudreaux Campbell, Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, Alan de Souza, Heitor Santos Ferreira and Austin Richardson are all in danger of being relegated means there’s tons of top-tier talent invading the tour once again this season.

Which is a bit of a shocker considering several of these guys finished within the Top 30 last season, including Souza (No. 5), Richardson (No. 12), Vieira (No. 13), Campbell (No. 28) and Rossetto (No. 28).

The cutline equation will fluctuate as the season progresses, just as the premier series pack will.

But it’s fair to wonder: Will any of it matter if Crimber continues his runaway streak?!

2025 PBR Unleash The Beast Global Standings: 
1. John Crimber (336 points)
2. Dalton Kasel (164 points)
3. Jose Vitor Leme (147.5 points)
4. Andrew Alvidrez (118.75 points)
5. Koltin Hevalow (115.63 points)
6. Julio Cesar Marques (104.5 points)
7. Lucas Divino (92.5 points)
8. Anderson de Oliveira (86.65 points) 
9. Dener Barbosa (83.5 points) 
10. Eduardo Aparecido (80.5 points)

Lineups and draw are in for the fourth of 23 regular season Unleash The Beast showdowns, so we’re taking a closer look at Friday night’s matchups, rematches and everything you need to know ahead of the weekend’s opening slate of games!

With the premier series circuit set to invade Wichita, Kansas, Dec. 13-14, we’re breaking down starting lineups for competition inside INTRUST Bank Arena (With coverage set to begin at 8 p.m. CT via PBR’s YouTube channel and Ride Pass on Pluto TV).

PBR WICHITA STARTING LINEUPS 
Austin Richardson vs. Triple Aught
Mauricio Gulla Moreira vs. Problem Child 
Derek Kolbaba vs. Boujee Boy
JaCauy Hale vs. Black Gold 
Marco Rizzo vs. Stryker 
Luciano De Castro vs. Body Roc 
Sage Steele Kimzey vs. Big Choppa 
Keyshawn Whitehorse vs. Spooky Vibes 
Alan de Souza vs. Snap Chatter 
Daniel Keeping vs. Sauced Up 
Claudio Montanha Jr. vs. El Sicaro 
Cort McFadden vs. Sweet Heat 
*Kaiden Loud vs. Brown Bomber 
Paulo Henrique da Silva vs. Sonny B 
Thiago Salgado vs. Exodus 
Brady Fielder vs. El Chapo 
*Dustin Martinez vs. Air Marshall 
Eduardo Matos vs. Bobby Bones 
Hudson Bolton vs. Smoke City 
Vitor Losnake vs. Vindicated 
Elizmar Jeremias vs. Warlock 
Kaique Pacheco vs. No Man’s Land
Sandro Batista vs. No Socks 
Leonardo Castro vs. Magic Fire 
*Paulo Eduardo Rossetto vs. Bo Man 
Joao Ricardo Vieira vs. I’m a Hostage 
Rogerio Venancio vs. Sorrel’s Pick 
Adriano Salgado vs. Crazy Times 
Clay Guiton vs. Tchoupitoulas 
Alex Cerqueira vs. Redwing 
Boudreaux Campbell vs. High Ball 
Dawson Branton vs. Lever Action 
Mason Taylor vs. Sober Quick
Eduardo Aparecido vs. Crazy Sox 
Dener Barbosa vs. Crime Scene
Anderson de Oliveira vs. Bad Bob
*Lucas Divino vs. Cracker Jack 
Julio Cesar Marques vs. Walk Hard 
Koltin Hevalow vs. Happy Hour
Andrew Alvidrez vs. Secret Soul 
*Jose Vitor Leme vs. Lil’ Loco 
Dalton Kasel vs. Lap Dancer 
*John Crimber vs. Sometimes I Fly 
*Denotes Rematch

REMATCHES
Dustin Martinez vs. Air Marshall (3.18 seconds in Ocean City, Maryland)
John Crimber vs. Sometimes I Fly (87.25 points in Tucson, Arizona)
Jose Vitor Leme vs. Lil’ Loco (6.04 seconds in Sacramento, California)
Kaiden Loud vs. Brown Bomber (86.25 points in Tacoma, Washington)
Lucas Divino vs. Cracker Jack (84 points in Fort Worth, Texas)
Paulo Eduardo Aparecido vs. Bo Man (3.99 seconds in Billings, Montana) 

OUT DUE TO INJURY/OTHER
Casio Dias (injury)
Daylon Swearingen (injury)
Kyler Oliver (injury)
Wingson Henrique da Silva (injury)
Heitor Santos Ferreira (illness)
Nick Tetz (excused)
Ramon de Lima (declined)
Felipe Furlan (declined)

FOLLOW ALONG
This weekend’s PBR Wichita spectacle in Wichita, Kansas, is set to begin Friday, Dec. 13 at 7:45 p.m. CT as the best bull riders in the world prepare to compete inside of INTRUST Bank Arena.

With competition set to conclude Saturday, Dec. 14 at 7:45 p.m. CT with Round 2, followed by the Championship go, the quest to earn the 2025 PBR World Championship continues in the plains region!

Complete tune-in information for this weekend’s PBR Wichita showcase can be found here.

Fans can keep an eye on PBR.com and @PBR social media channels for the latest news, scores, wrecks and more! 

Photo courtesy of Todd Brewer/Bull Stock Media