Winning a PRCA world championship is difficult. Getting back to Las Vegas to defend it can be just as challenging.
Three 2025 world champions—bareback rider Rocker Steiner, saddle bronc rider Statler Wright and steer wrestler Tucker Allen—left last year’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo® with gold buckles. As the 2026 season moves toward its final stretch run, all three face very different challenges in their attempts to return to the Thomas & Mack Center to defend their titles.
Steiner’s title defense was thrown into doubt after June surgery to repair two herniated discs. Steiner said initially that he expected to return from his rehabilitation Aug. 13, but as of Aug. 10, that timetable had changed. Despite missing a couple of months, Steiner still remained in the top 10 of the standings with more than $122,000 in earnings, so his dreams of going back-to-back are still alive.
“Might have jumped the gun a little bit,” Steiner posted on social media. “Saw the doc this morning and he strongly suggested a few more weeks off. The risk of me re-injuring my neck is still too high, and if I have another surgery, chances of me ever riding again are very low. I’m upset about it but at the same time, excited to just get better and come back when I know I’m gonna be ok. I’m sorry to everyone who made plans and bought tickets to come see me in Hermiston. I will be back in a couple of weeks.”
The injury came after Steiner fulfilled a lifelong goal in 2025 and continued a remarkable family tradition. His father, Sid, won the 2002 steer wrestling world championship, while grandfather Bobby was the 1973 bull riding world champion.
“Winning a world title is what I always dreamed about,” Steiner said. “With my mom, there was just a lot of crying and tears of joy. Then with my dad, we had a big hug and he just said, ‘World champ, baby!’ I won’t forget that night ever.”
In a foretelling of his title defense, Steiner shared this quote in May 2026.
“It is very hard to get this good, and it is very hard to stay healthy enough and stay focused to win a gold buckle,” he said.
For Wright, the challenge for him is making up ground in the standings. As of the middle of August, he was 24th in the world standings with $81,706.08, which was still well outside the top 15. He can still qualify to defend his 2025 gold buckle, which he won after edging out his brother, Ryder, by just $346, but time is running out. His other brother, Stetson, finished third in the world standings, giving the Wright brothers a historic 1-2-3 finish.
The victory brought an unexpected sense of relief.
“It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, one I didn’t even realize I was carrying,” Wright said. “Then I walked back into the locker room and my dad, Rusty, Ryder and Stetson were all there. Seeing how excited they were for me made it even more special.”
Allen, meanwhile, knows his title defense is over. The 2025 steer wrestling world champion tore his left ACL, MCL and posterolateral meniscus at the Spanish Fork Fiesta Days Rodeo in late July. Surgery was scheduled for August, with Allen targeting a return for the winter rodeos in early 2027.
It was a tough turn after Allen’s breakthrough 2025 NFR, when he entered fifth in the world, competed on all 10 head, won the average and finished about $64,000 ahead of Will Lummus for the championship.
“My day-to-day life hasn’t changed, and I don’t think of myself any differently,” Allen said. “It was an awesome personal accomplishment, but it was really a team effort.”
Even though he won’t compete this December, Allen still expects to appreciate the NFR Experience.
“The NFR is our Super Bowl of rodeo,” Allen said. “Every event features the best competitors in the world, and the stakes are so high that the fans can actually feel the pressure.”
