Stetson Wright's Remarkable Comeback Comes Less Than a Month After Knee Surgery

When Stetson Wright announced that he would be having knee surgery, it was just one more blow to the 10-time World Champion cowboy who has been battling injuries over the last few years.

Fans will vividly remember 2024 when their All-Around Champion had to take a seat on the sideline due to a hamstring injury.

Everyone watching knew it was bad when the superstar bucked off both a saddle bronc and bull in the second round of the 2023 NFR in uncharacteristic fashion. He would be done. Not just done for the NFR but done for all of 2024.

When 2025 rolled around, the champ was back to himself and he earned the All-Around and bull riding world championship.

He carried that success into 2026. Currently, even after having been shut down due to injury again, Wright leads the All-Around standings by a huge margin. He has won $311,370 in comparison to Brushton Minton who is second at just $134,056.

In his individual events, Stetson is second in the saddle bronc riding with $201,625 only to his brother Rusty who has earned $209,470. Bull riding has been tougher, and one would have to equate some of that to injury. He is currently ranked at No. 6 with $176,840.

Stetson Back In the Arena

In his signature blue shirt, Wright rides a large black bucking bull — Stetson Wright | Fernando Sam-Sin

A torn meniscus and posterior cruciate ligament ultimately made Stetson take more time off in 2026. When that injury forced surgery, Wright also acknowledged that he had separated his shoulder.

But, in less than one month’s time, “Superman” is already back at it.

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association reported that his first trip back in the arena was at Logan, Utah. The stock didn’t make it easy on him either. He took on Legacy Pro Rodeo’s Jitter Bug in the saddle bronc riding, where he scored 84 points to earn $1,123 for a fifth-place three-way tie with Cauey Pennington and Mitch Pollock.

In the bull riding though, he had to take on three bulls given that he was awarded two rerides. Ultimately, it was probably exhaustion that got him, as four head of roughstock has to be hard on a guy. He didn’t get a score in the bull riding.

With just about six weeks left in the regular season, fans will be happy to see their champion back in the arena and earning wins. Whether or not Stetson is completely healthy will remain to be seen, but he has proven time and time again he can power through the pain and get the job done.

Earlier this year, Wright became just the second cowboy as a ProRodeo competitor to surpass the $4 million career earnings mark. He joined the “King of Cowboys” Trevor Brazile for that distinction.

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