Stetson Wright and Wacey Schalla, are one and two in one of the tightest all-around races the Wrangler National Finals as seen.
The all-around race heading into this year’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo promises to be one of the most competitive and exciting we have ever seen. Two of rodeo’s best athletes, Stetson Wright and Wacey Schalla are preparing to battle for the sport’s most coveted title inside the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
For the first time in two years, Stetson Wright is back. The 26-year-old Utah cowboy, widely regarded as one of the greatest rodeo athletes of his generation, has spent the last two seasons sidelined by injuries that forced him to miss the entire 2024 year after turning out of the majority of the 2023 NFR. It goes without saying, Thomas & Mack has felt different without him.
Now healthy and determined, Wright will return to Las Vegas ready to dominate again and possibly reclaim his place on top. Known for his talent in both saddle bronc riding and bull riding, Wright has already earned five consecutive All-Around World Championships from 2019 to 2023, along with two bull riding and one saddle bronc world titles. This alone is a huge feat at the young age of 26.
He enters the 2025 NFR ranked No. 2 in bull riding, No. 12 in saddle bronc, and No. 1 in the all-around. His goal has stayed very clear, he wants to win all three gold buckles — the triple crown that would only further solidify his name in the history books and make him one of the greats.
This year, for one of the first times Stetson's all-around gold buckle isn’t guaranteed. Right on his heels is 20-year-old Wacey Schalla, a rising star from Oklahoma who’s made an impressive climb in just his second NFR appearance. Schalla heads into Vegas sitting No. 1 in bull riding and No. 13 in bareback riding, also qualifying in two roughstock events, a feat few athletes ever accomplish.
Last season, Schalla made his first trip to the NFR in bull riding, finishing seventh in the standings when it was all said and done. Earlier this year, he claimed two national titles at the College National Finals Rodeo, winning both the Bull Riding and the All-Around Championship for Clarendon College. He then went on to have a remarkable year in the pro rodeos to guarantee himself another trip to Vegas.
The coolest part of the story is that Schalla has long called Stetson Wright one of his rodeo idols — a cowboy he looked up to as he has grown up. Now, the young gun is standing alongside that hero, nodding for the same gold buckle that Wright has nearly made his trademark.
Wright, meanwhile, won’t just be facing Schalla. The Wright legacy continues to run deep this year, with brothers Ryder and Statler Wright also qualifying for the NFR in saddle bronc riding. Ryder, the reigning world champion, enters the Finals ranked No. 1, setting up a family showdown that’s become a fan favorite NFR tradition.
According to unofficial PRCA standings, Stetson leads the all-around with $391,670 in earnings this season, while Schalla is close behind with $358,985. With ten rounds in Vegas, each paying nearly $40,000 to the champs, and an average title worth about $80,000 per event, there’s more than enough money on the table to make this race interesting til the end.
Wright has been described as being “in a league of his own,” a once-in-a-generation cowboy capable of completely redefining the sport. But as this year as shown, Wacey Schalla might be climbing that ladder himself and Vegas could be where he writes his name in the history books as well.
When that first cowboy nods his head at the 2025 NFR, it won’t just be about the big scores and changing standings but also about a lot of legacy and the future of rodeo. Here in the all-around race, one cowboy is looking to prove he’s still the best in the world, while the other is ready to show he belongs right beside him.
Either way, the all-around race will come down to the wire, and this December, the Thomas & Mack Center is the only place to see how it ends.