PBR Teams: Wildcatter Days presented by zone Premium Nicotine Pouches marks the second of 12 regular-season events during the fifth PBR Teams season and the first team homestand of the year. Action begins Friday, July 31, at 7:45 p.m. CT, continues Saturday, Aug. 1, at 6:45 p.m. CT and concludes Sunday, Aug. 2, at 1:45 p.m. CT inside Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
Friday’s games will stream live and exclusively on Paramount+, while Saturday and Sunday’s competition will air live on The CW. Sunday will also feature the PBR Teams Game of the Week between the Oklahoma Wildcatters and Texas Rattlers at noon ET on CBS.
WILDCATTERS COME HOME
Following a neutral-site season opener in Fort Collins, Colorado, the Oklahoma Wildcatters return to Paycom Center for their only home event of the 2026 regular season.
Oklahoma enters the weekend at 1-1 after earning new Head Coach Greg Rhodes his first victory with the team during Bulls and Beats. The Wildcatters rebounded from an opening-night loss to Missouri by defeating the New York Mavericks 261.85-175.8 on Sunday behind a revamped roster featuring Trace Redd, Winy dos Santos and Eduardo Matos.
The home team opens its weekend Friday against the Nashville Stampede before meeting the undefeated Texas Rattlers on Saturday and the Arizona Ridge Riders on Sunday. The Wildcatters and Stampede have split their eight previous meetings, making Friday night’s finale another chapter in one of the league’s most evenly matched series.
TEXAS STANDS ALONE
The Texas Rattlers arrive in Oklahoma City as the only undefeated team in PBR Teams following a 2-0 start in Fort Collins.
Texas defeated the Florida Freedom 265.45-260.9 on opening night before edging the Austin Gamblers 265.55-257.45 on Sunday. The Rattlers produced six qualified rides across the weekend, tied for the most in the league, while converting at a 60% clip and recording two 90-point rides.
Their Oklahoma City schedule provides three significant tests. Texas opens Friday against the defending champion Carolina Cowboys, faces the hometown Wildcatters Saturday and closes the weekend against the Missouri Thunder.
Friday’s matchup with Carolina continues one of the league’s closest rivalries. Texas owns a narrow 8-7 advantage in the all-time series, while the Cowboys look to rebound after converting just two of their 10 attempts in Fort Collins.
FRIDAY NIGHT FIREPOWER
Friday’s slate features five games and several matchups that could immediately reshape the standings.
The New York Mavericks and Missouri Thunder open the weekend, with New York searching for its first victory after an 0-2 start. The Mavericks still received a strong opening-weekend performance from reigning Rookie of the Year Marco Rizzo, who enters Oklahoma City ranked third in the MVP standings with 177.9 points.
The Carolina Cowboys then meet the Texas Rattlers before the Florida Freedom and Kansas City Outlaws renew a series tied 8-8. Florida enters at 1-1 after producing six qualified rides and two 90-point scores in Fort Collins, while Kansas City rebounded from its opening loss by shutting out the Cowboys 175.05-0.
The Austin Gamblers and Arizona Ridge Riders follow in another tightly contested series, with Austin holding an 8-7 edge. The night concludes with the hometown Wildcatters facing Nashville.
MVP RACE TAKES SHAPE
Austin Richardson arrives in Oklahoma City as the early leader in the 2026 PBR Teams MVP race after a perfect opening weekend for the Florida Freedom.
Richardson went 2-for-2 in Fort Collins for 179.7 aggregate points, highlighted by a 92.4-point ride aboard Stacked Deck that earned him Day 2 MVP honors. His performance gives him a 1.7-point lead over Arizona’s Elizmar Jeremias entering the second event of the season.
Jeremias also began the year 2-for-2, while Rizzo sits third with 177.9 points and Texas Rattlers rider Daniel Keeping ranks fourth with 176.95 points.
Florida also received a 91.9-point score from reigning PBR World Champion John Crimber aboard Dirty Honey. Crimber and Richardson accounted for two of the five 90-point rides recorded during opening weekend.
REMATCH RECAP
Several riders will encounter familiar bovine opponents during Friday’s opening slate.
Bob Mitchell reunites with Splash Tide after covering the bull for 88.55 points in Albuquerque earlier this year.
Carolina’s Thiago Salgado draws Purple Rain following their 90.6-point performance during Round 2 of the 2026 PBR World Finals. Texas rider Daniel Keeping will face Walk Hard for the fourth time after two initial buckoffs and an 88.75-point ride in Sacramento, California. Keyshawn Whitehorse also gets another opportunity against Freedom Fighter after being bucked off in Boston in January.
Kansas City’s Koltin Hevalow meets Baldy for the fifth time after riding the bull in three of their four previous matchups. Heitor Santos Ferreira looks to avenge a 1.77-second buckoff against Wild Bunch’s Levy during Rattler Days in 2025, while João Lucas Campos faces Good Riddance after a 6.32-second buckoff during Freedom Days last season.
The Austin Gamblers and Arizona Ridge Riders matchup includes two notable rematches. Jose Vitor Leme previously covered Mo Money for 87.95 points in Albuquerque, while Dalton Kasel seeks his first qualified ride aboard Foolish Pride after being bucked off in 7.13 seconds during Thunder Days in 2025.
FIRST THREE-DAY TEST
Wildcatter Days represents the first three-day event of the 2026 PBR Teams season, giving every team three opportunities to gain ground after the opening weekend.
Nine of the league’s 10 teams enter Oklahoma City separated by just one game. Texas leads at 2-0, eight teams sit at 1-1 and New York remains within two games of first place at 0-2.
The additional night of competition also places greater pressure on roster depth. Teams must navigate three games across the weekend, with riders potentially competing on three consecutive days as coaches manage lineups, injuries and bull matchups.
With the Wildcatters competing in front of their home crowd, the Rattlers defending the league’s only perfect record and the early MVP leaders looking to maintain momentum, Oklahoma City offers the first opportunity for the 2026 standings to begin taking shape.
Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media