PUEBLO, Colo. – The 2019 season is officially in the rearview mirror, and it was undoubtedly one of the best in PBR history. From a historic world title race to one of the strongest rookie classes ever, rank rides to raw, emotional victories, 2019 is a year we’ll never forget.

In no particular order, here are 19 moments we’re thankful for in 2019.

J.B. Mauney’s history-making event win…

These days, when two-time World Champion J.B. Mauney rides, it tends to to end up being historic. In March, Mauney went 3-for-3 to win the Bad Boy Mowdown in Little Rock, Arkansas, for the 32^nd premier series event win of his career. It rocketed him from 50^th to ninth in the world standings – ultimately helping him qualify for a 14^th consecutive PBR World Finals, but more importantly tying him with two-time World Champion Justin McBride for the most wins all-time.

…and history-making ride

In August, Mauney hit another milestone with his 526^th career qualified ride on the premier series. He rode Boogie Bomb for 87.5 points to move past 2004 World Champion Mike Lee and take sole possession of the second-most qualified rides all-time.

The handshake heard ‘round the world…

The 2019 World Championship race was fiercely contested all year long, and it ended up coming down to the final bulls of the championship round at the PBR World Finals. Jose Vitor Leme bucked off Lil 2 Train in 4.59 seconds, ending his world title hopes and resigning him to No. 2 in the world for the second consecutive season. But seconds after bucking off, Leme climbed the bucking chute to shake hands with Jess Lockwood, congratulating him on winning the world title.

Now that’s what being a cowboy is all about.

…and the point heard ‘round the world

However, just before the incredible sportsmanship came some incredible gamesmanship. Locked in a heated title race, Leme and Lockwood traded body blows throughout the PBR World Finals. In Round 4, Lockwood remained perfect with his 91.75-point ride aboard The Right Stuff, and Leme needed to answer. He did so, riding Bootdaddy.com for 89.75 points and, before dismounting, pointing at Lockwood. It was the second time this season that Leme has pointed at someone this season, and it’s always in good spirits

“It was to turn this into a fun moment,” Leme said that night, “and pretty much say, ‘Hey, it doesn’t matter what you do. It is not going to bother me none. I am not worried about what is going on around me. I am here to do my job and this is what I am going to do, and this is what I just did.’”

Cody Nance makes a lifesaving ride for the Team USA Eagles…

At the 2019 PBR Global Cup USA, the Team USA Eagles and Team Brazil were locked in a battle for national bull riding supremacy. Team Brazil had held the lead from the beginning, and the Eagles found themselves in a must-ride situation as the opportunities dwindled late in the event. Their fate rested in the hands of Global Cup veteran Cody Nance, who rode Blue Crush for 87 points to keep Team USA’s hopes alive.

…but Team Brazil continues its march to becoming a dynasty

Despite Nance’s heroics, Team Brazil held off Team USA’s comeback rode to victory in Arlington behind a strong performance by Jose Vitor Leme, winning its second Global Cup title in a row and beginning a bona fide dynasty. They’ll go for a three-peat in Arlington as the 2020 PBR Global Cup USA kicks off on Feb. 15-16.

Chase Outlaw’s redemption in Cheyenne…

In 2018, Chase Outlaw suffered a brutal wreck at Cheyenne Frontier Days that required emergency facial reconstructive surgery and months of recovery. In 2019, Outlaw returned to the scene with a vengeance, winning Last Cowboy Standing on the one-year anniversary of the wreck that nearly ended not just his career, but his life.

…and his emotional win at the Mason Lowe Memorial

Outlaw was no stranger to significant event wins in 2019. In January, PBR cowboy Mason Lowe passed away after a wreck at the Velocity Tour event in Denver, Colorado. Outlaw was one of Lowe’s closest friends and was with him after the wreck and in the hospital. At the Mason Lowe Memorial in Lowe’s home state of Missouri, Outlaw went 2-for-3 for his fourth career UTB victory.

“It has been difficult,” Outlaw said that night. “There have been a lot of sleepless nights. Your mind is a very powerful thing. I can’t say that the sights of what I had seen that play through my head in my mind, when you are about to get on the back of a bull (are easy), but you have to be able to overcome and overpower them thoughts.

“You let that subside and just block that out. You tell yourself to overcome it and improvise, adapt and overcome.”

Dalton Kasel’s sensational debut

On June 1, Dalton Kasel had zero points towards the world standings. He began attending Touring Pro Division events over the summer, impressing the PBR competition committee enough to warrant a one-event invite to the UTB stop in Tulsa. Kasel took full advantage of his opportunity, winning Round 1 in his debut en route to the 2019 Rookie of the Year title.

Rubens Barbosa’s history-making ride at World Finals

While most of the focus at the PBR World Finals was on the nail-biting world title race, Rubens Barbosa stole the spotlight in Round 4. The 36-year-old veteran rode Chiseled for a monster 95.75 points – only 10 rides in PBR history have ever scored higher, and none have even matched it in 10 years.

Age is just a number, says Barbosa.

“It definitely means a lot to me, for sure, especially me at my age,” Barbosa said that night. “I’m 36. You would never imagine that I would get a score that big, one of the highest in the history of PBR. You would never imagine it. You see all these other guys that are much younger than me covering all these bulls that are much harder. I have confidence, but given my age, it just means so much to me.”

Joao Ricardo Vieira is golden in the Golden State

He’s got a smile like sunshine, so it stands to reason that Joao Ricardo Vieira would thrive under the sunny skies of California. He went a perfect 10-for-10 at UTB events in California in 2019, winning Iron Cowboy in Los Angeles as well as the three-day Sacramento Invitational, and went 3-for-3 in Anaheim to maintain the world No. 4 ranking.

Jess Lockwood goes back-to-back to open the season

Jess Lockwood may have slumped in 2018 following his 2017 World Championship win, but he was back with a vengeance in 2019. He won the season-opening Monster Energy Buck Off at the Garden in New York City, and immediately followed that up with a win at the Chicago Invitational the following weekend. It gave Lockwood a huge lead atop the world standings, which ultimately helped him to his second world title.

RELATED: Buy your tickets to the 2019 Monster Energy Buck Off at the Garden

The Team USA Wolves debut at the Global Cup

At the 2019 PBR Global Cup USA, the five teams representing Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the United States were joined by a sixth – the Team USA Wolves, representing not just the U.S., but Native Americans. The all-Native squad rode to a third-place finish at its debut and will look to climb the leaderboard in 2020.

Jess Lockwood breaks the streak and rides Heartbreak Kid…

In 2019, it was Jess Lockwood’s world, and we were just living in it. When he squared off against Heartbreak Kid, the bovine athlete was riding a streak of 38 consecutive buckoffs – the second-longest in PBR history. Lockwood came out on top in their matchup, recording a 93.75-point ride in Greensboro – nearly breaking his neck in the process – to officially slay the dragon and end the streak.

…and then does it again

Just one week later, Lockwood drew Heartbreak Kid again and not just repeated his feat, but bested it. He rode for a sensational 94 points – the highest-scored ride of the 2019 season – to close out the regular season and enter the World Finals on a high note.

“I have never felt so good,” Lockwood said that night. “I am 10-foot tall and bulletproof right now. Going into the Finals last event. I don’t know if I can feel any better. I think everyone is going to start calling me crazy because I am going to start going into the championship rounds and choosing that bull because he is my bull.”

Smooth Operator takes a victory lap

Smooth Operator had been around the proverbial block a few times, but the 9-year-old superstar had never won a YETI World Champion Bull title. That changed in 2019, as Smooth Operator erupted for a 47-point bull score in the championship round of the 2019 PBR World Finals to clinch the world title. When it was all said and done, Smooth Operator took a few laps to give the Las Vegas crowd the opportunity to pay the proper respect.

A night of 90s in Bismarck

It’s not every day that you see a bull rider reach the 90-point mark. But in Bismarck, North Dakota, at Chad Berger’s $125,000 team challenge in June, there wasn’t just one 90-point ride – there were eight. Lucas Divino, Sage Kimzey, Cannon Cravens, Cody Teel, Derek Kolbaba, Chase Outlaw, Stetson Lawrence and Jose Vitor Leme each surpassed 90 points on one of the rankest nights in bull riding history.

“In the 19 years we’ve done it here, we’ve had some great bull ridings, but tonight was undoubtedly one of the best bull ridings in the history of the sport,” Berger said that night. “I’m not going to say it was the best one ever, but I guarantee you what, it’ll range right in there somewhere.”

Alisson and Alan de Souza have us seeing double

What’s better than one Souza? Two Souzas. PBR fans had been introduced to Alisson de Souza in 2018, but in 2019 his identical twin brother Alan made it to the United States and debuted on the premier series. The two competed side by side at the PBR World Finals, and we might not know who is who, but we know it was great.

Jess Lockwood becomes PBR’s youngest two-time World Champion

It was the final result of 2019, and undoubtedly the most significant. After going 5-for-6 in Las Vegas, Jess Lockwood completed his come-from-behind victory to win the 2019 World Finals event title and the 2019 PBR World Championship. He becomes the youngest two-time world champ in PBR history, and is one of just five riders to win both titles in the same season.

“It will take a while for this one to sink in,” Lockwood said that night. “You work your whole life to become a world champion. Now I get to have my name next to guys like Justin McBride and Chris Shivers. It’s what you dream about. To have it become a reality is that much sweeter.”