2025 Year-End Edition

STETSON WRIGHT WINS PRCA ALL-AROUND, BULL RIDING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP By Alex Dodd

T he 2025 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo was a long time coming for Stetson Wright. Ahead of the 2023 NFR, Wright suffered a hamstring injury but tried to stay in the fight for a triple crown in Las Vegas. After two rounds, the injury forced him to bow out and nearly ended his career. Doctors initially told Wright to find another line of work, but he underwent surgery and eyed a comeback in the middle of the 2024 PRORODEO season. He pushed to return and wasn’t quite ready. After a 13-month absence, Wright returned to the arena at the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo on Jan. 17 in Denver. He finished second in the bull riding, picked up checks in saddle bronc riding and made it clear he was back with a vengeance. Wright proved dominant over the course of the 2025 season, qualifying for the Wrangler NFR in saddle bronc and bull riding.

bottom and there was a lot to process, but I just knew that there was no way that it could be over.” Wright finished the year with $940,929 – a new sin gle-season earnings record – just short of becoming the first-ever cowboy to win $1 million in a single season. The mark surpassed his previous record of $928,568 won in 2022. In the all-around, Wright finished with $817,088 to beat Wacey Schalla (bareback, bull riding) by $205,379. The total bested Wright’s previous record of $758,829 set in 2022. After Wright’s return in January, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. In the spring, Wright sustained a head injury during the finals of the Clovis (Calif.) Rodeo and missed time. Then at the Cinch Playoffs at the Puyallup (Wash.) Rodeo in September, Wright suffered broken ribs, a punctured lung and an abdominal injury that cast his status in jeopardy for the Boot Barn Wilderness Circuit Finals Rodeo, and raised some questions about his health for the NFR.

After 10 days in Las Vegas, his comeback was complete and he left the Thomas & Mack Cen ter with the PRCA All-Around World Champi onship and PRCA Bull Riding World Cham pionship – bringing his gold buckle count

But once again, Superman returned. He came back for the Wilderness Circuit Finals Nov. 7-8 in Heber City, Utah, earning the average win in bull riding. “Every gold buckle means something to me, but these two right here, it means a lot because I had to fight back and do

to 10 with no signs of slowing down. “They told me after I tore that ham string a second time to go find a desk job,” Wright said. “I think that’s what means so much to me. I had hit rock

Stetson Wright’s PRCA World Cham pionship count increased to 10 after winning the bull riding and all-around. (PRCA photo by Click Thompson)

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JANUARY 2026