PBR's Elite Unleash the Beast returns to Minneapolis with five world champions expected to ride

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota – For the first time in 13 years, PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) elite tour, featuring the Top 35 bull riders in the world and rankest bucking bulls in the nation, will invade Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Minneapolis Invitational, the 24^th stop on the premier PBR Unleash The Beast, will buck into Target Center for two days of edge-of-your-seat action on October 4-5.
 
This season, the contingent of riders anticipated to compete at the Minneapolis Invitational includes five PBR World Champions: Kaique Pacheco (2018), Jess Lockwood (2017), the youngest rider in history to be crowned the planet’s best bull rider at 20, Cooper Davis (2016), J.B. Mauney (2015, 2013) and Silvano Alves (2014, 2012, 2011).
 
Thus far in 2019, fans have watched another fierce race for the world title and million dollar bonus playing out during the tour’s action-packed first half. All expected to ride in Minneapolis, the Top 5 riders in the world standings, No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme, No. 2 Chase Outlaw, No. 3 Joao Ricardo Vieira, No. 4 Lockwood and No. 5 Cody Teel are separated by fewer than 1,000 points. 
 
As the 24^th and one of the final regular season events for the 2019 Unleash the Beast, The Minneapolis Invitational promises fierce competition as the Top 35 battle it out for crucial world points towards the PBR World Championship.
 
The PBR’s premier series last stopped in the Minneapolis in January 2006 when Matt Bohon delivered a perfect 3-for-3 performance to capture his first Unleash The Beast victory. The premier series had only visited Minneapolis once before, debuting in the Mill City in 2003 when 1996 PBR World Champion Owen Washburn won the event title.
 
During the 13 years since the Unleash The Beast’s last trip to Minnesota’s largest city, fans have been captivated by the league’s two additional U.S.-based tours. After the Touring Pro Division stopped in Minneapolis in 2008, with now world No. 8 Ryan Dirteater riding his way to the winner’s circle, the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour made the most recent visit to the city, holding an event in 2014 when Arkansas’ Tyler Harr rodeo supreme.
 
The bull riding action begins with Round 1 at 7:45 p.m. CT on Friday, October 4, concluding with Round 2 and the championship round at 6:45 p.m. CT on Saturday, October 5. All 35 bull riders will get on one bull each in Round 1 and 2. Following Round 2 on Saturday evening, the riders’ individual two-round scores will be totaled with the Top 15 advancing to the championship round for one more out and a chance at the $30,000 event title.
 
Tickets for the two-day event are on sale now and start at $15. They can be purchased at Target Center’s Box Office, by phone via AXS at 1-888-929-7849 or online at TargetCenter.com. 
 
For an enhanced PBR experience, fans can now purchase PBR Elite Seats and Premium Experiences, which provide a behind-the-scenes look into the toughest sport on dirt.
 
These premium options include early entry; tickets to a premium seating section; a catered reception; a pre-event, backstage tour by a PBR Host, featuring a PBR 101 presentation and visit with the sport’s fiercest bovine athletes; and the opportunity for photos and autographs from the sport’s top stars. After the event, ticketholders also will be given premium dirt access, where they can get their complimentary 2019 PBR program, Elite Seat lanyard and other memorabilia autographed by the Top 35 bull riders in the world.
 
For more information on the upgraded experiences fan can contact PBR Direct at 800-732-1727.
 
The PBR season consists of 26 stops, traveling to cities such as Chicago, New York, Houston, Los Angeles and many more. The season will culminate with the PBR World Finals at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena Nov. 6-10, when the 2019 PBR World Champion, the bull rider who earns the most world standings points during the season, will receive the coveted World Championship belt buckle and $1 million bonus.
 

About the PBR (Professional Bull Riders)
The world’s premier bull riding organization began as a dream of 20 bull riders 26 years ago and now operates in five countries. On its elite tour, the organization features the top 35 bull riders in the world and the top bulls in the business. The televised PBR Unleash The Beast, along with the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT), the PBR Touring Pro Division (TPD) and the PBR’s international circuits in Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico have paid nearly $184 million in earnings to its athletes. Thirty-nine bull riders have earned more than $1 million, including two-time PBR World Champion J.B. Mauney who is the top-earning athlete in Western sports history with more than $7.2 million in career earnings. PBR is part of the Endeavor network. For more information on the PBR, go to PBR.com, or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/PBR, Instagram at Instagram.com/PBR, and YouTube at YouTube.com/PBR.
 

EVENT INFORMATION
Event: PBR: Unleash The Beast
Venue: Target Center
Show Date/Time: Friday, October 4 at 7:45pm and Saturday, October 5 at 6:45pm.
On Sale Info: Tickets on sale Monday, May 20 at 10am at the Target Center box office, online at TargetCenter.com or by calling 888-9-AXS-TIX. 

MEDIA CONTACT
Kacie Albert
212-774-6762
kacie.albert@img.com