BLACK GOLD BRIMS

Stetson Wright’s Super-Sonic Legacy

A rodeo announcer’s voice booms through crackling speakers as music echoes across the arena. The crowd erupts at the sight of a royal blue shirt in the bucking chute and a Resistol pulled low to his eyes. No explanation is needed.

 

Superman is here.

 

The “Superman” nickname belongs to 10-time World Champion Stetson Wright, a cowboy whose larger-than-life success and fearless style have made him one of the sport’s most profound stars. 

 

“In 2020, I had just won my first bull riding gold buckle,” Wright said. “I went to San Antonio in 2021 and rode this bull, Trophy Rack of Frontier [Rodeo Company]. I scored a 93 or 93.5 in the short round. It was kind of an exciting ride, and when I stepped off, Randy Corley said, ‘He’s Superman.’

 

“I don’t know how or why, but it stuck. My chap maker started putting the Superman logo on the back of my chaps without me even telling him, and now everybody calls me Superman.”

 

The nickname became more than just a marketing mantra.

 

“It’s cool people think that, but I don’t know what to think of it,” Wright said. “Going back to ‘23 and ‘24 when I got hurt, tore that hamstring and tried to compete at the Finals — the only reason I tried to compete, knowing how bad it was, was because I was maybe brainwashed that I was Superman. I thought I could do something that was literally physically impossible.”

 

Still, the Team Resistol athlete believes the mentality behind the nickname helped carry him through the toughest stretch of his career.

 

“If you hear it enough, you start to believe it,” Wright said. “That’s why I think mindset is so big. If you repeatedly tell yourself something and work at it, you’re bound to get it. Think positive. Say positive things to yourself. The saying my dad’s always told us is, ‘I’m healthy, wealthy, handsome and happy.’ That’s something I’ve stuck to my whole career, even through the injury. That might have been what kept me from losing my mind.”

 

At just 26 years old, Wright surpassed the $4 million mark in PRCA earnings, cementing himself as one of the most accomplished cowboys of his generation. The Beaver, Utah, native has earned six all-around world titles, three bull riding world titles and one saddle bronc riding title.

 

But even Superman has kryptonite.

 

Wright’s rise to elite success has not come without setbacks. A severe hamstring injury sidelined the world champion for much of the 2024 season, forcing him to spend months away from the arena while watching family members and competitors continue without him.

“2024 — it was a long year,” Wright said. “I sat and watched rodeo. I had to go under a few different surgeries to get my body back to where it was supposed to be. Fourteen months off from rodeo — from the time I started rodeoing, I’d never taken off more than a couple months. So it threw me for a loop.”

 

“It really wasn’t even the physical side that was hard,” he continued. “It was the mental side of it — that’s where injuries make or break you. I felt like I got pretty close to breaking a few times in ‘24. By the time I got cleared and started riding again in ‘25, everything just seemed to click back to normal. Then ‘25 took off, and the ending of ‘25 was even better — winning two world titles.”

 

Returning to the world champion winner’s circle of the Thomas & Mack Center Arena carried extra meaning after doctors told him his rodeo career might be over.

 

“The biggest thing about being able to hold two buckles again is they told me I’d never rodeo again,” Wright said. “To them, that was out of reach, but I had different plans. When that 10th round rolled around and I walked out of the Thomas & Mack with two gold buckles, it was just a good feeling. It wasn’t great by my standards, but being able to walk out of there with any gold buckles was what I was shooting for the whole year. It made me more hungry for 2026.”

 

Already one of the most decorated cowboys of his era, Wright continues building a resume that places him among rodeo’s all-time greats alongside names like 26-time world champion Trevor Brazile.

 

“I used to be someone that set a number or a date on things I wanted to achieve,” Wright said. “Over the past two years, I decided I don’t want to set a number or a limit on anything I’m doing. I’m just going to try to win as much as I possibly can. I feel like if you set a limit, you start relaxing the closer you get to it. So I decided to kick the limit out of here and just let this roll as long as it’s going to take us. No limits.”

 

Wright credits much of his success to the support system surrounding him: the legendary Wright family rodeo dynasty.

 

Originally from Milford, Utah, the Wright family is widely considered rodeo royalty. At the root of the family tree is Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame saddle bronc rider Cody Wright and wife ShaRee. Together, the family has raised generations of champions and NFR qualifiers.

 

Stetson is one of five. Siblings include  Rusty, 5X NFR qualifier, 3X world champion; Ryder, 10X NFR qualifier, Statler, world champion and 2X NFR qualifier, and young Lily Jo, a standout barrel racer. Stetson is quick to accredit his family for their strong support system through the highs and lows of the sport. 

 

The family, in addition to their expansive resume, as proudly hangs their hat on the Wright Wester Cowboy Hat collection. 

 

“Yeah, there’s accountability for sure when you travel with family,” Stetson said. “I’ve traveled with buddies before too, and everything kind of gets slid under the rug with them. They don’t tell you the truth on whether you’re riding good or not. But when I travel with my brothers, it’s, ‘No, that horse was good. That bull was good. You didn’t do your job right. You need to step it up or take a break.’

 

“That’s the good thing about traveling with family — you grew up in the same house as them. They don’t have time for your nonsense. They’re going to tell you exactly what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong. I feel like that’s an advantage. You don’t get as homesick either. You’re always with family, so it doesn’t hit as hard.”

 

Built on generations of rodeo knowledge, unwavering support and gold-buckle success, the Wright family legacy continues to push Superman’s limits even higher.

 

The sky’s the limit for the Man of Steel.