(Photography by Aaron Rodriguez)
On Friday, January 17th, 2025, Houston Toyota Center’s usually pristine lacquered wood flooring was nowhere to be seen. In its place: 5000 square feet (750 tons) of rodeo dirt. The Professional Bull Riders (PBR) had arrived in Houston to battle it out in the home of the Rockets.
Round 1 of the Michelob ULTRA PBR Houston saw 2018 Rookie of the Year Keyshawn Whitehorse command Let’s Roll into submission for an incredible 89.25 points securing him the first night’s win. With a new 28 Unleash The Beast points, Whitehorse’s standing for the title jumped from 13 to 10 which brought him just 250.5 points below first place.
Night 1 also marked the third event in the Monster Energy Team Challenge Presented by Camping World, a secondary team vs. team game. Friday’s face-off was between the Austin Gambler’s and the Texas Rattlers. The Rattler’s won the challenge with multiple 8-second rides from team members Daniel Keeping, Braidy Randolph, Brady Fielder, and Callum Miller.
Night 2 saw bull riding master Lucas Divino perform a 3-for-3 ending with a championship-round that earned the rider an incredible 90 points, boosting him to second in the 2025 World Championship Race, and winning the round with a $40,000 prize.
John Crimber, the No. 1 Bull Rider in the world, had an uncharacteristically rough time when in his championship-round, he was knocked off and trampled by Yahoo. The rider later posted to instagram that the mishap had resulted in 2 lumbar transverse process fractures in his lower back. The young rider will take the next 2 weeks to rest before reassessing the injury.
Fire, dirt, rock ’n’ roll, and action—you know, the 4 elements of Texas: PBR’s got them in spades. If you’ve never seen the sport in person, now’s the time to experience one of the most exciting (and dangerous) sports on the planet. Unleash The Beast will continue in Pittsburgh on January 24th and 25th before heading to Sacramento on the 31st. Tickets and information is available at https://www.pbr.com/events.
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