Stetson Wright Captures Fifth-Consecutive All-around Title
LAS VEGAS – Superstar Stetson Wright has added another world championship to his resume. The Milford, Utah, cowboy clinched his fifth career PRCA All-Around World Championship and eighth overall. Despite being sidelined after Round 2 of the 2023 Wrangler NFR in his two events – saddle bronc riding and bull riding – because of a right hamstring strain, Wright clinched the all-around crown with $479,621.
“This is awesome,” said Wright, 24, about winning the all-around title. “Through everything that happened here recently, the humbling experience that I have been a part of. To know that I blew everybody out of the water so much that I didn’t have to win a penny at the Finals in order to win this is pretty special. This will be a world title I will not forget. I stopped thinking about world titles after I pulled myself out of the NFR. I just wanted to be healthy and it is pretty special to win something like that when you’re not even able to finish the richest ten days of the year.”
Wright’s world title collection consists of all-around titles in 2019-23, bull riding (2020, 2022) and saddle bronc riding (2021). Team roping header Nelson Wyatt was the only cowboy who could mathematically catch Wright in the all-around race, but that’s not the case anymore.
Wyatt, a team roping header, is competing at the NFR with heeler Jonathan Torres. Wyatt is second in the all-around standings with $195,489.
Wright joins a select group of ProRodeo Hall of Fame cowboys – Joe Beaver, Roy Cooper, Don Gay, Larry Mahan, Don McLaughlin, Rich Skelton, Harry Tompkins and Fred Whitfield – who have won eight PRCA World Championships. There are only 18 cowboys in PRCA history to win at least eight world championships.
ProRodeo Hall of Famer Trevor Brazile has the PRCA record with 26 world championships, including a record 14 in the all-around.
“My goal is to break Trevor’s (all-around) record and the way I’m going to do that is being wise enough to know when to hold’em and when to fold’em. This was a week of folding them and just trusting that everything my dad (Cody, ProRodeo Hall of Fame saddle bronc rider) is telling me is going to pan out for the best. If I’m going to get there I have to be healthy for the next ten years.
“I’m super happy with my decision (to opt out of the NFR with his injury). I knew (Nelson) Wyatt has a chance to win the all-around and before I made the decision, it wasn’t just the bronc riding title and the bull riding title. It was everything. As good as those team ropers and timed-event guys are they are likely to win ten rounds because they are so fast.”
Wright acknowledged he doesn’t expect anything from the sport of rodeo – it has to be earned.
“The way I go about is that I never think I have anything won, until I’m holding that gold buckle,” Wright said. “That’s when I know the fight is over. Me having to throw in the towel before this (NFR) got started was a hard pill to swallow. When you hear everybody call you Superman, you start believing your invincible and then you realize really quick that you’re just as human as everybody else. That was the hardest thing for me. I have dealt with injuries, but I have never had my body not cooperate with me and not fire. It would shut off and shutdown, but I could still ride, that wasn’t the case this time. I’m at peace with my decision. Eight-time world champion sounds better than seven.”
Wright is hoping to have surgery Dec. 18, and he has no timetable for his return.
“I will be back when I’m 100 percent,” Wright said. “I will be back, so everybody still believes in Superman.”
Courtesy of PRCA