Everything’s bigger in Texas, and Team Jokers proved that true under the lights of “Jerry’s World” Friday night, May 16, 2025, at Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo.
With a final-round surge inside AT&T Stadium, Team Jokers clinched the second Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo title, walking away with $27,778 each and the kind of redemption story fit for a Friday night highlight reel.
Coached by Hall of Famers Joe Beaver and Sid Steiner, the Jokers faced an uphill climb through the bracket-style format, where each of the six teams went head-to-head in elimination rounds. The tie-down roping format put one roper forward in each matchup—Beaver sent John Douch out of the gate first, where he dropped a tough Round 1 matchup to Convoy’s Riley Webb.
“We started off pretty strong, then hit a few bumps,” Douch said. “But we stayed in it. Dakota [Eldridge] making that crazy jump in the steer wrestling really helped us out a lot.”
The Jokers battled back through the rounds, collecting gold-medal wins across multiple events. Douch, paired again with Webb in the final round, came up short once more—but the math was already in their favor. Thanks to standout performances from other teammates across roughstock and timed events, the Jokers tallied the most golds overall, sealing their championship before the dust even settled.
“This was a full team effort,” Douch said. “We didn’t have the best draws, but we hustled. We weren’t worried about what the other guys were doing—we just kept our heads down and went to work.”
Joe Beaver, grinning ear to ear, agreed.
“It was fun today,” Beaver said. “But more than that, it was about stepping up. We got beat bad last time, and we made changes. I told them, ‘We have to win. Give me all you got when I need you.’ And they answered.”
Beaver emphasized that the energy around this team-style format—brought to life by the WCRA, PBR and Kid Rock—is the kind of entertainment rodeo needs.
“This can be really big,” Beaver said. “It’s fun, it’s flashy, and it’s got fans watching who might not have ever watched rodeo before. We just need to keep tweaking the format—especially on the barrel racing start—and keep pushing forward.”
And when it comes to the skeptics?
“Rodeo people are stuck in the ditches,” Beaver said with a laugh. “They forget there are gutters, too. We’ll get ’em out of it.”
With the payout, production and personality all cranked up to eleven, Team Jokers didn’t just win a rodeo—they helped usher in a future that’s flashier, faster and full of potential.
“We’re gonna see more of this,” Douch said. “And it’s gonna be a good time.”
