The 2026 Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo has come to a close. Champions were crowned across every event, and those who rose to the top left Dickies Arena with both bragging rights and a lot of money added to their 2026 standings.
The men’s timed events, steer wrestling, tie-down roping and team roping, were strong from start to finish. Fort Worth’s format tested consistency and execution every step of the way.
The rodeo began with progressive rounds, split into 7 brackets. After two rounds within each bracket, the top two money earners advanced directly to the semifinals, while third place moved on to the Wild Card round. Once the progressive rounds concluded, the Wild Card sent two additional competitors in each event to the semifinals.
From there, two semifinal rounds narrowed the field to eight, four from each semifinal. Those eight finalists represented the best in Fort Worth this year earning the chance to compete for one of the most sought after titles of the winter rodeos.
Steer Wrestling
Bridger Anderson of South Dakota and Trisyn Kalawaia of Hawaii tied for the win in the steer wrestling. They both stopped the clock at 3.8 seconds to split the championship and $16,000 each.
Anderson, 27, continues to build momentum early in the season. A three-time NFR qualifier, he made his third appearance to Vegas in 2025, finishing ninth in the world standings. Following his Fort Worth performance, Anderson sits second in the 2026 world standings and is on pace to possibly surpass $1 million in career earnings this season.
Kalawaia, just 23, is also off to a strong start in 2026. The Hawaiian cowboy is currently third in the world standings and credited Fort Worth as a big turning point towards big goals.
“This is definitely the biggest win of my career,” Kalawaia said following the the big win.
Both cowboys were quick to point to the horsepower behind them and the work of their hazers, noting that success in steer wrestling is never a one man effort.
Justin Shaffer finished third with a 3.9-second run to earn $8,000, while Tanner Brunner rounded out the top four at 4.1 seconds, adding $4,000 to his season earnings.
Tie-Down Roping
Consistency paid off in the tie-down roping, where Kincade Henry closed out Fort Worth with the fastest run of the finals. The 24 year old Texas cowboy stopped the clock in 7.5 seconds to win the title and the $20,000.
He competed in Bracket 2 early in the rodeo, he won his bracket to advance and continued to pick up speed as the week went on. He was 8.5 seconds for second place in his semifinal, setting himself up for the final night. When it counted most, Henry delivered his quickest run of the rodeo to secure the championship at 7.5 seconds.
A four-time NFR qualifier, Henry finished a career best third in the world standings in 2025 during his fourth trip to the National Finals Rodeo. Following his Fort Worth win, he holds a strong lead in the 2026 world standings with nearly $50,000 already earned.
Marty Yates finished second with a 7.7 second run followed by Haven Meged in third at 8.1 seconds. Zack Jongbloed rounded out the top four, clocking 8.2 seconds on finals Saturday night.
Team Roping
Team roping at Fort Worth turned into a matter of simply getting the job done. Qualified, clean runs were hard to come by throughout the week, and that trend carried into the finals.
When Corben Culley and Trent Vaught were fourth out on finals night. With many strong teams to go, nobody was sure that they would stay on top. But their 5.4-second run proved to be the difference, standing as the only clean run of the finals and earning them the championship.
Neither Culley nor Vaught has qualified for the National Finals Rodeo yet, but their Fort Worth win puts them in rare company early in the season. Following this big win, the duo now sits No. 1 in the world standings on both the heading and heeling sides.
Vaught, who hails from Arkansas, and Culley, an Iowa cowboy, capitalized on an opportunity, proving that in team roping, execution matters just as much as speed.