10.07.25 - Teams
Inside a weekend of chaos, comeback rides, and season-defining moments as teams fight for playoff positioning in Kansas City.
By James Phillips | COO & Co-Founder, Midwest Outdoors Adaptability Foundation
Night One — Oct. 3, 2025
Kansas City is normally about the Chiefs, but this past weekend it was about the Outlaws in the fight of their lives — trying to stay above eighth, ninth and 10th in the standings.
At the end of the regular season, teams in those three positions will play a three-way game to make it into the championship tournament in Las Vegas. Additionally, the top three finishers will receive a first-round bye inside T-Mobile Arena, giving the 15 games in Kansas City added importance.
As fans made their way into T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, with just one more weekend remaining in Arizona, there was plenty to talk about. And here were my top three takeaways from Night No. 1.
Takeaway No. 3: A long-awaited return
True fans of bull riding had been waiting most of the PBR Camping World Team Series for this: the return of Hudson Bolton to the New York Mavericks and Qynn Anderson joining the Texas Rattlers.
Both of these outstanding young guns were one and two in the PRCA Rookie of the Year standings heading into the National Finals in December. Now, why am I bringing this up in a PBR Team Series article? Because Bolton is the 2025 PBR Rookie of the Year — and since the PBR’s inception, due to scheduling conflicts, no rider has ever won both the PBR Rookie of the Year and the PRCA Rookie of the Year in the same season.
What a treat for fans that both of these rising superstars made their Team Series debuts on the same night and faced off against one another. The Rattlers ultimately prevailed, with Bolton coming down early in his first PBR Teams appearance of the season, while Anderson played a huge role by making the whistle and securing the Rattlers’ victory.
Takeaway No. 2: A stunning upset from the Missouri Thunder
One of the biggest upsets of the entire year came in Game Four, as the Missouri Thunder knocked off the Austin Gamblers. Austin was without José Vitor Leme, but even so, the Thunder delivered a performance that shocked the league.
With a combined score of 266.25 to Austin’s 264.25, Missouri edged the Gamblers on total points rather than bull count. What a statement. The Gamblers — the No. 2 team in the league and my preseason pick to repeat as Team Series champions — suddenly looked vulnerable.
I still believe Austin had the roster to go back-to-back, but hats off to Missouri for slaying one of the league’s dragons.
Takeaway No. 1: The standings swing
My number one takeaway was that Arizona lost to Florida — not on bull count, but on points. And why did that matter so much?
Because with Texas’s win over the New York Mavericks, and Florida’s win over the Arizona Ridge Riders, as the action headed into Saturday night’s games, the Rattlers had moved back into a bye position for the first round of the playoffs. In a race that tight, that swing could define who enters the postseason with momentum — and who is left fighting from behind.
Night Two — Oct. 4, 2025
If Friday night in Kansas City was about chaos, Saturday night was about clarity. The opening round at T-Mobile Center reshaped the standings with upsets, comebacks and the kind of sports team drama that makes a bull riding league so compelling. With playoff hopes and bye positions hanging in the balance, the spotlight only burned hotter.
Every team knew there was no safety net. For the Rattlers, momentum had to be confirmed, not borrowed. For Arizona, redemption had to come swiftly. For Missouri, the question was whether lightning could strike twice. And for the rest of the field, survival meant turning eight seconds into everything.
Takeaway No. 3: Carolina Cowboys keep rolling
The Carolina Cowboys continue their winning ways, riding three out of five to defeat the New York Mavericks on bull count. That’s their 11th win out of their last 12, completely turning around their season. With just four more games in the regular season, Carolina looks like it has its train firmly back on its tracks — and the Cowboys are well positioned to be in the Final Four come Championship Sunday in Las Vegas.
Takeaway No. 2: Oklahoma Wildcatters shock Florida
In the single wildest upset of the weekend, the Oklahoma Wildcatters defeated the No. 1 team in the league, the Florida Freedom. The standout moment came when Josh Frost — the 2024 PRCA world champion — took on the two-time defending PBR world champion bull Man Hater for an outstanding 92.5 points. In my view, the judges may have been a little light on that score, but the ride was sensational and the upset was absolute.
Something about Florida and its struggles against lower-standing teams is becoming a pattern. The Freedom have four games to turn things around to secure a first-round playoff bye and to give one of their riders a shot at the Horse Soldier MVP bonus. Oklahoma, meanwhile, is clawing for life in the No. 9 position. The Wildcatters must pick up more wins because teams eight through 10 will have to go to the three-way ride-in playoff game just to get into the championship bracket.
Takeaway No. 1: A night of upsets — proof that anything can happen
If there was one way to sum up Saturday night’s performance, it was upsets. My expectations were that the Missouri Thunder would dominate the home team — the Kansas City Outlaws — and pick up their second win of the weekend. However, that did not happen.
Another huge upset came when the Austin Gamblers, the No. 2 team in the league, fell to the inaugural PBR Team Series champions, the Nashville Stampede. The Stampede, who have struggled since their inaugural championship season, won their third straight and may now be experiencing their best regular season to date. Still, I didn’t expect Austin’s struggles to continue this deep into the year.
Meanwhile, the Oklahoma Wildcatters — a team that has shown flashes of brilliance but battled inconsistency in just their second season as a franchise — delivered another shockwave. They knocked off the No. 1 team in the league, the Florida Freedom, sending tremors through the standings.
On paper, none of these outcomes were supposed to happen — but that’s the beauty of our sport. Every time the gate opens, there’s potential for greatness. Saturday night reminded everyone that in bull riding, anything can happen with each nod of the head, each swing of the gate and each eight-second ride that defines the season.
Sunday Finale — Oct. 5, 2025
Well, in football there’s a saying: “On any given Sunday.” In bull riding, it’s any given out, any given ride — and I thought this past Saturday was full of upsets, which added to the excitement and the drama as we wrapped up Stop No. 11 on the PBR Camping World Team Series this past weekend at Outlaw Days in Kansas City.
Takeaway No. 3: Arizona rides high and hands Austin a reality check
The Arizona Ridge Riders absolutely dominated the reigning and defending PBR Team Series champions, the Austin Gamblers. To me, this looked less like a falloff from Austin and more like a strategic rest period. The Gamblers already sit in a comfortable position for a postseason bye, and it seemed clear that several of their top riders were being preserved — and of course José Vitor Leme was sidelined with an injury — for the final regular-season stop in Glendale.
I fully expect to see Leme, Dalton Kasel, Kaique Pacheco and Sage Kimzey back in action this coming weekend. If Austin can get its original lineup healthy and firing, winning even two of its final three games should lock in that coveted bye. Still, three losses this weekend were a reminder that even the best teams can’t afford to coast — not in a league this competitive.
Takeaway No. 2: Texas and Arizona in a dead heat for a bye
Speaking of Arizona, its earlier win over the Texas Rattlers this past weekend kept the two teams neck and neck in the standings. Both now sit tied in wins with Arizona ranked No. 3 above Texas based on ride points.
The equation is simple: If Texas performs to its potential next weekend in Glendale, it could leapfrog back into a bye position — but a single stumble could hand that edge right back to Arizona. Should the Ridge Riders keep winning — they’ve taken four of their past five games — the margin separating these two teams has been razor thin all season long, and this final stop will decide who earns rest and who faces the grind of an extra round in Las Vegas.
Takeaway No. 1: Florida falters — Mavericks and Wildcatters deliver shockwaves
The Florida Freedom, the No. 1 team in the league, had a weekend to forget. For the second time in the past three weeks, they were upset by the No. 10 New York Mavericks, and just one night earlier, they fell to J.B. Mauney’s Oklahoma Wildcatters.
For Florida, the message is simple — it’s time to regroup. The Freedom have earned enough wins to virtually guarantee a bye heading into the postseason, but with only one regular-season stop and three games left, they can’t afford to let complacency creep in. Championship teams finish strong.
As for Oklahoma, these are the kind of wins — and Josh Frost’s trip this weekend aboard Man Hater — that can change an entire locker room’s belief. The Wildcatters have shown flashes of what they’re capable of all year. Now, they need to carry that fire into Arizona and find a way to steal a few more victories to climb out of the bottom tier and avoid that three-way ride-in game, which is exciting as heck for fans but dreaded by every team.
Updated PBR Camping World Team Series Standings
After Outlaw Days — heading into Stop No. 12 at Ridge Rider Days in Arizona:
Florida Freedom – 23-9
Austin Gamblers – 21-11
Arizona Ridge Riders – 21-11
Texas Rattlers – 21-11
Carolina Cowboys – 17-15
Missouri Thunder – 14-18
Nashville Stampede – 13-19
Kansas City Outlaws – 11-21
Oklahoma Wildcatters – 11-21
New York Mavericks – 7-25
Horse Soldier MVP race update
Heading into the final stop of the regular season, the Horse Soldier MVP race is tightening into what looks like a three-man showdown between Thiago Salgado, Brady Fielder and John Crimber.
Each rider has delivered clutch performances that helped define their team’s success throughout the season, and all three remain in striking distance of the league’s most coveted individual honor.
If none of these three are your favorite riders and you want to see how your pick stacks up, you can view the full MVP standings and stats HERE.
Beyond the Dirt
The Midwest Outdoors Adaptability Foundation carries forward the same spirit of resilience seen in bull riding — but in a way that changes lives off the dirt. The foundation provides access to the Action Trackchair, a groundbreaking all-terrain wheelchair designed to give people with mobility challenges the freedom to experience the outdoors without limits.
But here’s the hard truth: no insurance will cover these life-changing pieces of equipment, and their $25,000 price tag puts them out of reach for the people who need them most. That’s why the Midwest Outdoors Adaptability Foundation exists — to bridge that gap and make the impossible possible. Because you can’t put a price on freedom, independence and living life to the fullest.
Whether it’s navigating rough pastures, rolling through wooded trails or simply enjoying time with family in places a standard wheelchair can’t reach, the Action Trackchair opens doors to a level of independence many thought was lost. It’s not just equipment — it’s freedom, dignity and the chance to live fully.
Just as PBR athletes push themselves to conquer challenges eight seconds at a time, the Midwest Outdoors Adaptability Foundation helps others overcome obstacles of their own, ensuring no one is left behind when it comes to the Western lifestyle and the outdoors.
To learn more — and to help someone reclaim their freedom — visit www.moafoundation.org.
Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media