Who is Rocker Steiner and why should you care

If you are at all into rodeo and all it has to offer, the name Rocker Steiner is a familiar one. But if you aren’t well-versed in rodeo and want to know who this name belongs to, listen up.

Rocker Steiner is the top Bareback rider in modern-day rodeo. Making his rodeo debut at 18, Rocker has only been in the professional rodeo scene for about 4 years. His stardom was quick, as he is a part of a family legacy in the rodeo world, with his grandfather, Bobby Steiner, being a world champion bullrider. His father, Sid Steiner, is a world champion steer wrestler. And now we are on the newest generation of Steiner blood in the rodeo ring.

From a young age, Rocker was never into rodeo or the western world. Rocker was actually very into water sports. At the age of 10, Rocker won his first world title in wakeboarding. From there, he went and won 4 more. But as he kept winning, learning more tricks, there wasn’t much drive to be better because he was already the best. This is when his priority shifted to being a bareback rider.

Starting at the age of 14, going on 15, Rocker began training with the help of family and friends who were and are involved in the world of rodeo and bareback riding. Training multiple times a week on horses, as well as training indoors on bucking dummies. This is what really prepared him for the big boy world of rodeo. Or at least that’s what they thought.

The September before Rockers’ first NFR, he was at a rodeo and wanted to join in on the party. A party he couldn’t go to as he was 18 at the time. But Rocker, being a rebel, thought of a way to get into the party. That being climbing onto a roof and jumping into the party. But when he landed, he broke both of his feet. Making him wheelchair bound for 8-12 weeks. With lots of training and weeks in the gym, Rocker was able not only to get back to walking but was able to perform at the NFR his very first year. Though he didn’t walk away a world champion that year, he left Las Vegas with a goal.

For the next couple of years of Rocker’s career, the goal was to get better and maintain that raw talent and grit. Which he did. By the 2024 NFR, Rocker once again qualified, but he lost the championship by 1.5 points. He came second. Which is something Rocker Steiner doesn’t do.

Earlier in 2025, Rocker, along with Boot Barn and The Cowboy Channel, announced that Rocker would be hitting the rodeo that summer, traveling on a tour bus to rodeos to try to break the world record with the most earnings made in one season of rodeo. This tour is what is known as “Hell On Wheels.”

Hell On Wheels is a TV show that The Cowboy Channel produced, sponsored by Boot Barn, to give the world of rodeo an insight into what this journey looks like for Rocker. This is also a chance for people to understand Rocker and his mentality better.

See, one piece of information I haven’t told you yet is that Rocker is considered the “Bad Boy” of rodeo. Including the party incident mentioned earlier, Rocker has been caught swearing live on television and having an “I don’t care what you think” attitude that some people within the realm of rodeo think diminishes the reputation of rodeo and everyone associated with it. The way many describe it is that you truly love him and are rooting for him to win, or you are praying for his downfall and that he will lose.

But with the generational talent this man possesses, I don’t see how you could ever want him to fail. He has this drive within him that can only be described as aggressive dedication that only comes within 1/1000 rodeo athletes.

Now that it is December, this means the NFR is underway, and a new world champion is going to be named. Though it is not yet known who that is, you can watch the NFR from the comfort of your home by watching on The Cowboy Channel, and you can also watch Hell On Wheels on The Cowboy Channel or on Hell On Wheels – YouTube.

Now that you know about Rocker Steiner, you know who the bad boy in the red get-up is at the NFR and who to watch out for if you are thinking of getting into bareback riding.

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