It was August 17, 2013, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the air inside the BOK Center felt heavy. If you were there, you knew. If you were watching on TV, you could feel it through the screen. There’s this specific kind of silence that happens right before a gate cracks open when everyone knows they’re about to see either a miracle or a train wreck. JB Mauney was sitting on the back of a 1,500-pound chocolate-colored bovine named Bushwacker.
Most riders looked at Bushwacker and saw a nightmare.
Mauney looked at him and saw the only thing that mattered.
The bull hadn't been ridden in over four years. Not on the premier series, anyway. He had a buckoff streak that stood at 42 consecutive riders. It was basically a statistical impossibility to stay on him for eight seconds. But JB Mauney wasn’t much for statistics. He was the "Dragonslayer."
The Streak That Felt Unbreakable
Before we get into the nuts and bolts of the ride, you’ve gotta understand who Bushwacker was. Owned by Julio Moreno, this bull wasn’t just "rank"—he was a genius. He didn't just jump and kick; he felt where your weight was and then deleted the ground from beneath you.
Bushwacker had a way of leaping so high his belly would clear the tops of the posts, and then he’d drop like a stone. It’s that "roller coaster" sensation Shane Proctor used to talk about. Fast up, faster down. By the time 2013 rolled around, Bushwacker was a celebrity. He’d been on CBS This Morning and in ESPN The Magazine. He was the Michael Jordan of the dirt.
By that night in Tulsa, Mauney had already tried him eight times.
He’d failed eight times.
Honestly, most guys would have stopped picking him. In the PBR, you get to choose your bulls in the championship round if you’re high enough in the standings. You could pick a "spinner" that’s easier to ride and secure a win. But Mauney? He didn't care about playing it safe. He wanted the best. If he was going to win, he wanted to do it by conquering the unrideable.
8 Seconds of Pure Chaos
When the gate finally swung open, it wasn't a "pretty" ride. You’ve probably seen the highlights. It was a dogfight.
Bushwacker exploded out of the chute with that signature high-intensity leap. Most bulls have a rhythm. Bushwacker had a rhythm that changed every two seconds. Mauney was tossed toward the front, then jerked back. His free arm was whipping around like a helicopter blade.
At the four-second mark, most people thought it was over. Mauney looked like he was dangling by a thread. But he had this weird, gritty ability to disregard every fundamental of bull riding when things went south. He wasn't sitting "correctly"; he was just refusing to let go.
"I was just hanging on," Mauney admitted later. "I had to just go at him jump for jump."
When the whistle blew at eight seconds, the arena didn't just cheer—it erupted. It was a 95.25-point ride. To put that in perspective, anything over 90 is considered elite. A 95 is legendary. It snapped the streak. The "unbeatable" bull had been beaten.
Why That Night Changed Everything
If Mauney doesn't make that ride, does he win the 2013 World Championship? Maybe not. Before Tulsa, he was trailing Silvano Alves by more than 3,000 points. He was 10th in the world.
That one ride acted like a massive shot of adrenaline to his season. He jumped to 6th in the world in one weekend and started a tear through the second half of the year that remains one of the greatest "come from behind" stories in sports history.
The numbers behind the matchup:
- 13: The total number of times Mauney and Bushwacker met in their careers.
- 1: The number of times Mauney actually made the whistle (the Tulsa ride).
- 42: The record-breaking buckoff streak Bushwacker held on the Built Ford Tough Series before that night.
- $46,000: What Mauney pocketed just for that win in Tulsa.
It’s kinda funny when you think about it. Bushwacker was branded with the number 13. They met 13 times. And it happened in 2013. If you're superstitious like Julio Moreno, those numbers mean everything.
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Life After the Dirt
Fast forward to today. The world of bull riding looks a lot different.
Bushwacker lived a long, pampered life in retirement until he passed away in July 2024 at the age of 18. He spent his final years under a tree in Oklahoma, probably the most respected animal to ever walk into an arena.
JB Mauney, the man who finally conquered him, had a much rougher exit. After earning over $7 million—the most in the history of the sport at the time—his career ended abruptly in 2023. He was competing at a PRCA rodeo in Lewiston, Idaho, when a bull named Arctic Assassin threw him. Mauney landed on his head, breaking his neck.
It wasn't his first neck injury, but it was the one that required a rod, plates, and screws. Doctors told him he was done.
"Not the way I wanted to go out," he said on Instagram, but he didn't sound bitter. That’s just the price you pay for being the guy who always picks the rankest bull in the pen.
What We Can Learn From the Dragonslayer
You don't have to be a cowboy to get something out of this story. Basically, it’s about the value of failing. Mauney failed against Bushwacker eight times before he succeeded.
Most people quit after the second or third time they get slammed into the dirt. Mauney just kept getting back on. He knew that to be the best, you have to be willing to look stupid and get beat up by the best.
Actionable takeaways from the Mauney-Bushwacker saga:
- Pick the hard path. If you only take the easy wins, you’ll never have a "95.25 moment." Mauney’s legacy isn't built on the easy bulls; it’s built on the ones he shouldn't have ridden.
- Forget the streak. Whether it’s a losing streak in your business or a 42-bull buckoff record, the past doesn't actually dictate the next eight seconds.
- Persistence is a choice. Mauney wasn't more "talented" than the other 42 guys Bushwacker bucked off. He was just the one who was willing to try for the ninth time.
If you ever find yourself in Tulsa, or even just watching old clips on YouTube, look for the 2013 Express Employment Professionals Classic. Look at the way Mauney's head snaps back and how he resets his feet. It’s a masterclass in not giving up when everything is trying to throw you off.
The sport moves on—guys like Jose Vitor Leme are breaking earnings records now—but they’re all riding in the shadow of that 2013 showdown. It was the night the Dragonslayer lived up to his name.
Next Steps for Fans:
If you want to see the modern equivalent of this rivalry, keep an eye on the PBR UTB (Unleash The Beast) standings. While no bull has quite reached Bushwacker's "mainstream" celebrity status yet, the current crop of YETI World Champion Bull contenders are putting up similar buckoff percentages. You can also follow JB Mauney’s new venture, Ultimate Bullfighters (UBF), where he's helping the next generation of Western athletes learn the grit it takes to face down a thousand pounds of muscle.