‘Back to the top’: How Stetson Wright made his grand return to the NFR

The highly anticipated return of Stetson Wright at the National Finals Rodeo did not disappoint.

Making his first NFR appearance in 726 days after dealing with a lingering hamstring injury, Wright won his go-rounds in saddle bronc riding (90 points) and bull riding (89.75 points) Thursday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.

His second act Friday wasn’t bad, either.

Wright won again on the second day of the NFR. He won his bull riding go-round with a score of 89.5 points and tied for second in his saddle bronc riding run with 89 points.

“I bet there’s not a guy in Vegas having more fun than me,” Wright said after his bull riding win Friday.

The five-time all-around champion is living up to his “Superman” nickname. His three go-round victories and one second-place finish have netted Wright $155,435 in earnings through the first two days.

Wright, 26, entered Saturday leading the all-around standings with $641,141 in total earnings and a more than $90,000 advantage over Wacey Schalla ($550,497.07), who is also competing in bareback riding. Wright also took over the lead in the bull riding standings with $527,546.10 to Schalla’s $489,751.09.

“It was really good, coming off the high of (Thursday), my confidence is at an all-time high,” said Wright, a two-time bull riding champion and 2021 saddle bronc riding champion. “Rolling into (Friday), I was like, ‘Let’s see how far we can ride this train,’ and I’m feeling good right now. Everything’s golden.”

‘Makes you or breaks you’

There were nerves as Wright prepared to make his return to the NFR. In 2023, he aggravated a right hamstring injury on the second night of the NFR. He had such a large advantage in the all-around standings that he still cruised to his fifth straight all-around title despite missing the next eight rounds.

Wright’s focus turned to getting ready for 2024, but his hamstring wasn’t ready. He ended his season in the summer with the hope of getting ready for 2025.

He still attended the NFR last year, appearing on the Cowboy Channel show before the start of each round outside of the Thomas & Mack Center. Wright cheered on his siblings, older brother Ryder and younger brother Statler.

The TV cameras would catch Stetson Wright watching his brothers’ saddle bronc rides and mimicking the hip movements as if he were competing.

“The hardest thing was the fact that I knew if I tore (my hamstring) again, it would be over because they put a last resort in the back of my leg, so that was the fear to start,” Wright said. “Now that I’m here, I’ve went a full year coming back, and there was no fear — the biggest fear I had was between my ears. Your mind is always the deal that either makes you or breaks you. I’ve been making sure it doesn’t break me.”

‘It’ll pay off’

Wright’s return wasn’t exactly a red-carpet welcome. Since he missed a year of competition, he lost certain certifications and automatic qualification for some rodeos. He entered as many rodeos as he could to try to get back to form.

“I know on paper, moneywise, it looked like an amazing season, but I felt like it wasn’t as good as I could have done,” Wright said. “There was a lot of missed opportunities, a lot of rodeos I didn’t get into, a lot of sit-outs, but I knew if I got here, that’s the only chance I needed to get back to the top.”

Wright, a native of Beaver, Utah, won 16 bull riding events in the regular season and 27 all-around event wins, along with 14 saddle bronc wins. He last competed in early September, listening to advice from his father, Cody, a two-time saddle bronc riding world champion, to get as healthy as possible for the NFR.

“It was hard to sit there and watch and have no control of everything,” Wright said. “But I just kept listening to everything my dad said: ‘If you’re feeling good going into NFR, it’ll pay off.’ I trusted it. Right now, once again, he looks pretty smart. I’ve never felt like I’ve rode better.”

Three world titles?

Wright entered the NFR 12th in the saddle bronc standings and has skyrocketed to fourth with $331,470.95, about $70,000 behind leader Damian Brennan.

“My nerves were worse this year than my first NFR,” Wright said. “I knew I didn’t know what to expect my first one, and now sitting out two years, I guess I was pretty bothered by everything. I had butterflies. I was trying not to puke the whole time before the bronc ride. After the broncs, I did feel way better going to get on my bulls.”

The bull riding and all-around title are tight. It’s a two-man race for the all-around title between Wright and Schalla. The bulls could get interesting, with Ky Hamilton lurking in third with $402,728.05, almost $125,000 behind Wright.

“I swear it makes me ride better (in bull) when I see everybody else doing good, (because) winning a world title, it means a whole lot more when everybody’s riding at their best,” said Wright, who entered the NFR more than $2,000 behind Schalla in the bull riding standings.

Without coming in as a reigning champion, Wright said he didn’t feel as much pressure as in previous years. That, mixed with his confidence, could be a scary combination for the rest of the competition in what already has been a remarkable return for rodeo’s biggest superstar.

“I’m going to keep throwing my feet as high as I can and keep my hips when I’m on the bulls and just see where this all ends up,” he said.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.