Upstart Steer Wrestler Relishing Cheyenne Victory, Significant Payday

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Cole Pugh was lying in the dirt, the head of a 500-pound steer in his arms as the animal rolled over onto its back.

In an instant, the Jasper, Texas, native bounded to his feet, cowboy hat gripped tight, doing a windmill celebration while running across the Frontier Park Arena dirt, high-fiving anyone within his orbit.

Pugh yelled in jubilation as his time popped on screens across the arena – 5.3 seconds.

While he still had to wait out a final steer wrestling run, Pugh knew his result during Sunday’s short go at Cheyenne Frontier Days had taken the lead, likely giving him a career moment worth celebrating.

“I’ve never been in an arena this big and a moment that big – and I capitalized on it,” Pugh beamed after claiming the CFD buckle.

Pugh’s win in Cheyenne was a milestone moment as the 21-year-old tries to get his ProRodeo career off the ground.

In 2024, he started locally, competing at events primarily in the Lone Star State to get things rolling. Last year, he focused on making the Texas Circuit Final, coming up just shy. Pugh finished 19th in the circuit with nearly $6,900 in earnings.

So far this season, Pugh has been solid, already eclipsing more than $16,100 before arriving in Cheyenne, putting him sixth in the Texas Circuit and guaranteeing him an appearance at the circuit finals.

That success has allowed Pugh to expand his travels over the summer, as he’s hit rodeos across the country. Over the weekend, his hard work resulted in his biggest victory yet.

Pugh won his opening round bracket in 5.9 seconds to set the tone, following it up with another win in the semifinals, this time in 5.5 seconds.

In the short go, Pugh proved he wasn’t finished, blazing his way to the best run in the finals and the fastest time of any bulldogger throughout the rodeo.

“This round, I just had the same mindset and same start. I wasn’t going to change anything and just go as fast as we could,” Pugh said. “It’s awesome. I like this set up. I like to run them down. I can go over there and catch them like some other people can’t and I feel like I have a little advantage over here.”

CFD put a combined $14,200 in his ledger, which will nearly double Pugh’s earnings for the 2026 campaign. Pending results from other rodeos, he could go from unranked to inside the top 50 when the latest PRCA rankings get updated.

And while this current season is unlikely to end in a surprise run to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Pugh is hoping to parlay the momentum into more success.

Tyke Kipp, the steer wrestling winner at CFD in 2025, used that outcome last summer as a springboard to his current success. Kipp is 10th in the world and likely headed to his first NFR as he sits with almost $90,000 in prize money this year.

For Pugh, the goal is to try and replicate that with a strong finish to 2026 that gives him a place to build on in the coming year. After all, before Cheyenne his biggest rodeo moment had been a $15,000 payday at the Junior NFR.

“This one’s a little more special,” Pugh said with a laugh.

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