GET SOCIAL 
SHOP NOW AT:
WRANGLER.COM

Palermo would not be Surprised if Leme or Lockwood Break his World Finals Record

By: Justin Felisko

PUEBLO, Colo. – Robson Palermo leaned back in his chair and let out a laugh when asked last week if he believes his PBR record of three World Finals event titles will ever be broken.

“I hope not, but yeah,” Palermo said. “There are a lot of young guys that have a chance to do that. Jess Lockwood and Jose Vitor Leme have been riding really good, too. They both have won one.

“It is a pretty special event. It is hard to win this event because of all of the great bull riders there. Everything is awesome there. For me to win it three times is pretty special for me.”

Only two other bull riders in PBR history have won the World Finals two times besides Palermo.

1998 World Champion Troy Dunn won the Finals in 1995 and 1997, while two-time World Champion J.B. Mauney claimed the 2009 and 2013 World Finals titles.

Mauney, of course, could still tie Palermo’s record if he returns to competition this summer and performs like the Mauney of past Finals.

In fact, Mauney could have already won four or five World Finals titles if he would have converted on one or two more bulls in select seasons, or if a few dominoes would have fallen in his favor.

Mauney finished runner-up at the 2014 and 2015 PBR World Finals. 2014 World Finals event winner Silvano Alves went a perfect 6-for-6 compared to Mauney’s 5-for-6, second-place effort. Mauney (3-for-4) was leading the 2015 PBR World Finals after he clinched his second world title but had to withdraw from the event because of a shoulder injury.

 
Mauney Finals Appearances: 14
Best Finish Outside of WF Title: 2nd, 2014 & 2015
Rides: 46
Outs: 79
90-point rides: 18
Ride%: 58.23%

Mauney also finished third at the 2008 Finals – the first of Palermo’s three victories in Las Vegas – with a 6-for-8 performance. The future Ring of Honor inductee also placed fourth (2007) and fifth (2016) at the Finals.

The 15-year veteran has finished inside the Top 5 at seven of the 14 World Finals he has qualified for.

Here is a look back at the World Finals event winners since 2000. How close did any of them come to winning a second World Finals title?

2019: Jess Lockwood

 
Finals Appearances: 4
Best Finish Outside of WF Title: 3rd, 2017
Rides: 12
Outs: 23
90-point rides: 6
Ride%: 52.17%

The two-time World Champion has been a perennial threat to win the World Finals ever since he was shut out (0-for-5) in his first trip to Las Vegas.

Lockwood finished third at the 2017 World Finals after he began the marquee PBR event with a record-setting three consecutive round wins. However, he bucked off his final three bulls, while an unknown Brazilian by the name of Jose Vitor Leme went a perfect 6-for-6.

The Volborg, Montana, native returned to action at the Finals in 2018 following a two-month absence because of a torn right groin. Lockwood finished seventh overall, and went 4-for-6. Lockwood was only one ride off the winning-pace set by 2018 Finals winner Marco Eguchi.

2018: Marco Eguchi

 
Finals Appearances: 7
Best Finish Outside of WF Title: 12th, 2016
Rides: 13
Outs: 32
90-point rides: 2
Ride%: 40.63%

Marco Eguchi has been a streaky bull rider throughout his nine-year career, in part because of a series of injuries. However, Eguchi was able to put things together at the 2018 World Finals with a 5-for-6 performance, even overcoming a nasty wreck against Spotted Demon in Round 2 that almost knocked him out of the Finals.

Eguchi has reached the 8-second mark only eight times in six other trips to the Finals.

2017: Jose Vitor Leme

 
Finals Appearances: 3
Best Finish Outside of WF Title: 2nd, 2018
Rides: 14
Outs: 18
90-point rides: 6
Ride%: 77.78%

Leme has been close to perfect in his three trips to T-Mobile Arena. He has only bucked off four times, and nearly won back-to-back World Finals titles.

In 2018, Leme went 4-for-6, but he was one qualified ride behind Eguchi and Chase Outlaw, who finished third overall because of round points earned, in the event aggregate.

Leme finished fifth last year at the World Finals, which saw a tremendous effort from multiple riders. Lockwood won the event by going 5-for-6, and Matt Triplett was also 5-for-6 in his runner-up finish. Meanwhile, three other riders posted four qualified rides – Leme, Jared Parsonage and Alan de Souza.

2016: Ryan Dirteater

 
Finals Appearances: 10
Best Finish Outside of WF Title: 4th, 2017
Rides: 24
Outs: 56
90-point rides: 1
Ride%: 42.86%

Dirteater was sensational during his Finals victory in 2016, and was a perfect 6-for-6 to win the first PBR event held inside T-Mobile Arena.

The Hulbert, Oklahoma, native almost went back-to-back at the 2017 Finals with a fourth-place finish. Dirteater was 4-for-6, but could not keep up with Leme (6-for-6). Silvano Alves, Dener Barbosa and Fabiano Vieira also posted four rides that year in Las Vegas.

Dirteater also finished in sixth place in 2013 and 2014.

2015: Cooper Davis

 
Finals Appearances: 5
Best Finish Outside of WF Title: 3rd, 2016
Rides: 15
Outs: 30
90-point rides: 4
Ride%: 50%

Davis was able to win the 2015 World Finals with a rare 4-for-6 showing. As we have seen above, plenty of riders have gone 4-for-6 and were unable to take home the event title in Vegas.

The following year, Davis won the 2016 World Championship by going 4-for-6 again for a third-place finish at the Finals.

Davis has two 13th-place finishes and an eighth-place showing since his first two World Finals.

2014: Silvano Alves

 
Finals Appearances: 10
Best Finish Outside of WF Title: 2nd, 2010, 2013 & 2017
Rides: 36
Outs: 53
90-point rides: 2
Ride%: 67.92%

Alves is in a similar category as Mauney when it comes to three or four World Finals victories potentially being a reality.

Alves needed a perfect 6-for-6 effort to win his third world title in 2014, which came in the middle of his record consecutive ride streak.

However, the future Ring of Honor inductee had already finished second in two previous World Finals. Alves finished 12.5 points behind 2010 event winner Renato Nunes when the then-rookie went 5-for-6 at his first Finals.

In 2013, Alves could not hold off Mauney’s historic comeback effort to win his first world title despite going 5-for-6 in Las Vegas. Alves finished second, but his 6.99-second buckoff against True Blood in Round 4 was costly in his pursuit of a third consecutive world title.

Alves also finished runner-up three years ago. He had been a shell of his former self ever since he broke his hip in 2015, but he recaptured a portion of his prior form at the 2017 World Finals by going 4-for-6.

The 32-year-old has finished inside the Top-6 at the Finals in seven of his 10 trips to Vegas.

2013: Mauney

*Stats above

 

2012, 2011: Robson Palermo

 
Finals Appearances: 10
Best Finish Outside of WF Title: 5th, 2009
Rides: 32
Outs: 57
90-point rides: 7
Ride%: 56.14%

Palermo won his last Finals title in 2012, which also made him the only rider to win back-to-back World Finals titles. However, Palermo would never be the same as he underwent the first of three consecutive shoulder surgeries. Permanent nerve damage in his riding arm would also play a role in his downfall, and he would never reach the 8-second mark again (nine consecutive buckoffs) at the World Finals.

2010: Renato Nunes

 
Finals Appearances: 10
Best Finish Outside of WF Title: 3rd, 2012
Rides: 24
Outs: 60
90-point rides: 7
Ride%: 40%

Renato Nunes became the second rider in PBR history to win the world title and the World Finals in the same season when he went 5-for-6 in 2010.

Nunes, though, did not have much success in Las Vegas during his career, only finishing in the Top 10 at the Finals three times. Nunes finished third at the 2012 World Finals, and was 90.75 points behind event winner Palermo.

2009: J.B. Mauney

*Stats above

2008: Robson Palermo

*Stats above

2007: Wiley Petersen

 
Finals Appearances: 10
Best Finish Outside of WF Title: 7th, 2003
Rides: 31
Outs: 64
90-point rides: 6
Ride%: 48.44%

Wiley Petersen went 6-for-8 in his 2007 World Finals event victory. Petersen rode six consecutive bulls to earn the win after being bucked off in Round 1.

2007 was one of only three times in which Petersen finished in the Top 10 of the Finals. He placed seventh at the 2003 Finals, and 10th at the 2008 season-ending event.

2006: L.J. Jenkins

 
Finals Appearances: 10
Best Finish Outside of WF Title: 8th, 2013
Rides: 23
Outs: 61
90-point rides: 3
Ride%: 37.70%

In just his second season on the premier series, L.J. Jenkins went 6-for-8 to win the 2006 World Finals event average. The then-19-year-old began the weekend with two 90-point rides – 90 points on Black Smoke and 90.75 points on Sir Patrick – and clinched the victory with a 92.75-point ride on Red One.

Jenkins could never rekindle his early Finals success, finishing the next five Finals in 17th place or lower. He would finish the 2012 Finals in ninth, and 2014 Finals in eighth place. Jenkins’ last Finals appearance was in 2014, when he finished in 11th.

2005: Guilherme Marchi

 
Finals Appearances: 10
Best Finish Outside of WF Title: 8th, 2013
Rides: 56
Outs: 96
90-point rides: 6
Ride%: 58.33%

Marchi came close to joining his best friend in the record books. While Marchi’s three consecutive runner-up finishes in the world title race are well documented, the fan favorite also placed second at the Finals three times.

In 2007, Marchi’s pursuit of the world title came up short when he went 6-for-8 inside the Thomas & Mack Center. Marchi was 6.75 points behind Wiley Petersen for the World Finals win.

Marchi then bucked off Bones in the championship round in 2008 to cost himself a chance at winning the World Finals a day after he had clinched the World Championship.

Eight years later and Marchi was once again a bridesmaid at the Finals. He ended the 2016 Finals with five consecutive rides following a Round 1 buckoff against Polar Vortex, but it was not enough to edge Dirteater (6-for-6) for the win.

2004: Mike Lee

 
Finals Appearances: 16
Best Finish Outside of WF Title: 7th, 2006
Rides: 35
Outs: 97
90-point rides: 5
Ride%: 36.08%

Mike Lee is tied with Chris Shivers for the most World Finals qualifications at 16, but he had limited success at the PBR’s marquee event. In 2004, Lee became the first rider to win the world title and the World Finals in the same year when he went 7-for-8 to come out of nowhere to win the world title.

Outside of 2004, though, Lee only placed in the Top 10 in Las Vegas on two other occasions – 2006 (7th) and 2012 (10th).

2003: Jody Newberry

 
Finals Appearances: 5
Best Finish Outside of WF Title: 6th, 2005
Rides: 16
Outs: 34
90-point rides: 4
Ride%: 47.05%

Jody Newberry is one of five rookies to win the World Finals, but he only qualified for the Finals four more times after winning the 2003 title. Newberry went 4-for-5 in 2003, winning the Finals with a 94.5-point ride on Little Yellow Jacket.

OTHER WINNERS

J.W. Hart would finish no better than 25th in the final four World Finals qualifications of his career following his 2002 victory. 2001 winner Luke Snyder only finished in the Top 10 two other times following his rookie win in Vegas. 2000 winner Tater Porter only qualified for three more Finals following his event win, placing 12th at the 2007 World Finals before retiring.

© 2020 PBR Inc. All rights reserved.

Related Content