Best World All-Around Race in Recent Years Set To Kick Off With Schalla vs. Wright

This year's NFR is going to be a fantastic one to watch, especially the all-around battle.

Wacey Schalla at the Governor's Cup in Sioux Falls | Wacey Schalla/ Nathan Meyer Photography

The clock to the opener of the National Finals Rodeo is dwindling down at a rapid pace, and with a record-setting payout, no world leader is safe. While some have distanced themselves from the pack more than others, like Rocker Steiner or Riley Webb, there are some with no breathing room.

The last event every night for the next 10 days is the bull riding, and a pair sits inches away from each other for the lead, Stetson Wright and Wacey Schalla. Schalla is heading into the finals with a $2,400 lead over the 2x world champion and with a round win paying out $36,000, which makes $2,400 practically nothing.

However, the bull riding isn't the only gold buckle that the two are battling for as they have swapped punches all year in the all-around race. If one of them had made it in both events while the other hadn't this wouldn't be much of a race, but both will be competing in two events each night.

Everyone knows that Wright's other event is the saddle bronc riding, where he has now qualified to the NFR on five separate occasions while also winning a world title, but this will be Schalla's first trip in the bareback riding as the No.13 man.

This fight is between a true veteran, as he is creeping up on $3.6M in earnings, even though he is only 26 years old. Schalla, on the other hand, is only 20, and this will only be his second trip to the Thomas & Mack in what has become his breakout season.

2025 Wright vs. Schalla

Wacey Schalla | Fernando Sam-Sin

There were big wins for both of these guys throughout the year in both of their respective events and the list is extensive in the bull riding for either, but what is interesting is their success in their other events.

Wright in the Saddles

• Won the Walla Walla (Wash.) Frontier Days
• Won the Golden Spike Rodeo (Tremonton, Utah)
• Won the Gooding (Idaho) Pro Rodeo
• Won the United States Open Xtreme Broncs Match (Faith, S.D.)
• Won the Ogden (Utah) Pioneer Days
• Won the Eagle (Idaho) Rodeo
• Won the Elizabeth (Colo.) Stampede Rodeoodeo
• Co-champion at the Lea County PRCA Rodeo (Lovington, N.M.)

Schalla in the Bareback

• Won the Lawton (Okla.) Rangers Rodeo
• Won the Farm-City Pro Rodeo (Hermiston, Ore.)
• Won the Mountain Valley Stampede (Heber City, Utah)
• Won the Utah (Salt Lake City) Days of '47 Rodeo
• Won the Sisters (Ore.) Rodeo
• Won the Vernal (Utah) Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo
• Won the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show & Rodeo (Mercedes, Texas)

The bull riding is clearly the better event for both of these two, which will make this an even better all-around race to watch as fans get to see them duke it out side by side. This will be a long 10 days for both of these athletes as they will be getting on 20 different bucking stock animals by the time it is all over, ensuring whoever wins the all-around truly earned it.

---