PBR World Finals 30th Anniversary Season

By Kacie Albert

This May, the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) World Finals will return to Fort Worth, Texas, for the second consecutive season. The seven-day marathon event will take over Dickies Arena May 12-14 and 18-21, to conclude the 30th anniversary individual season and crown the 2023 PBR World Champion.

During the 2023 season, the PBR is celebrating its 30th anniversary since 20 cowboys broke away from the traditional rodeo with the belief that bull riding could be a standalone sport. Since their trailblazing initiative, the PBR has grown into a global phenomenon awarding nearly $300 million in prize money. When the World Finals debuted in Fort Worth in May 2022, fans witnessed one of the most ferocious championship races in PBR history for both riders and bulls.

Riding an incredible post-season wave of momentum, Daylon Swearingen (Piffard, New York) capped a dominant season by winning the 2022 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast to be crowned the 2022 PBR World Champion. As the 2022 PBR World Finals got underway, Swearingen bucked off in Round 1, surrendering his world No. 1 rank, but he then rode six bulls in a row to pull away from the field.

Locked in a ride-for-ride battle with Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil) to begin the event, and Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) in the final rounds, the 2022 PBR World Championship came down to the final two outs of the event. When Championship Sunday got underway with Round 7, Swearingen and Pacheco, the 2018 World Champion, both converted, leaving the gold buckle up for grabs in the final round.

For their final outs of the season, Swearingen was tasked with Mike’s Magic (Five Star Ranch/BS Cattle), while Pacheco readied to face off against Manaba (Joe & Nina Webb/Julian/D&H Cattle Co.) in a must-ride situation. When Pacheco was brought down by Manaba in 5.9 seconds, Swearingen clinched the 2022 PBR World Championship before even readying his rope.

Despite being brought down in 2.05 seconds and getting roughed up by the rampaging bull, Swearingen’s gutsy 6-for-8 showing at the event earned him the World Finals event title and his career-first PBR World Championship. Swearingen is now just the seventh rider to capture both honors in the same season. He is the 20th different rider – and 12th American – to claim the PBR World Champion gold buckle since the sport’s first championship in 1994.

Throughout 2022, Swearingen went an impressive 26-for-60, covering 43.33% of his animal athlete opponents. He earned $1,697,481.63, including $1,394,000 for his career-first PBR World Championship and World Finals event win.