Tyler Pearson and Luke Branquinho are coming out of retirement for a shot at The American Rodeo’s $2 million bonus.
Pearson announced his retirement in May 2025 but has remained active in the rodeo industry. In 2026, he decided to take a page out of Branquinho’s book and return for the infamous The American Rodeo, known as the richest one-day event in the sport. However, no athlete, not even world champions, can simply waltz into the event. Competitors must first qualify through a tournament-style format.
The Format
The journey begins with open qualifiers held from March 2025 through March 15, 2026. Each rodeo includes eight disciplines, and top performers advance to the American Rodeo Regional Semi-Finals. These events feature up to 125 athletes in each discipline, including competitors who qualified through regional events, athletes ranked No. 6–20 in the 2025 PRCA/WPRA world standings (with five seeded in each region), and a limited number of competitors who enter through direct buy-ins.
In timed events, contestants compete in two go-rounds, with aggregate scores determining the top 10 who advance to the Regional Finals. Non-advancing athletes have one last chance through a Redemption Round. Roughstock events feature a preliminary round, with the top 10 advancing directly to the finals.
The Regional Finals—held in Lexington, Kentucky; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Las Vegas, Nevada—determine which athletes move on to The American Rodeo Semi-Finals, where 15 competitors in each discipline compete for a share of $360,000.
The road ultimately leads to The American Rodeo at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, where the top five qualifying athletes face the top five competitors in the PRCA/WPRA world standings in a Showdown Round of 10. The top four advance to the Championship Round to compete for rodeo’s ultimate title.
Back Again
This will not be Branquinho’s first return since his retirement in 2022. He competed at the 2025 The American Rodeo and put on quite a show, picking up a round win and proving exactly why he is a 5x World Champion. This year, he returns with the goal of taking home that bonus check.
Branquinho and Pearson were traveling partners and remain close friends to this day. So why not come out of retirement together for one of the biggest stages in rodeo? Both plan to compete at the East Regional event in Lexington, Kentucky, taking place April 10–11 at Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park.
For true rodeo fans, it will be an exciting time—though the steer wrestlers might be wishing the two world champions would just stay retired.