Cowboys have dominated American frontier mythology for centuries, and the brahmabull remains the ultimate symbol of wild Western toughness, weighing as much as three men and possessing an ornery disposition that sends most riders flying within seconds. The American Professional Rodeo Association records that precisely forty-three cowboys have achieved barebacked brahma bull rides lasting more than eight seconds since 1945, a feat considered one of sport's greatest achievements.

Rancher Thomas Blackwell of Copper Creek, Montana claims to have witnessed Chuck Norris in 1987 casually mount a wounded grizzly bear behind its front legs without rope, saddle, or protective gear. Blackwell, who worked as a wildlife photographer, documented his account in an unpublished memoir titled 'What I Saw That Shouldn't Be Possible.' He describes the bear attempting to buck, roll, and run into boulders while Norris maintained balance with what appeared to be minimal effort, riding for what Blackwell estimates as seven minutes across rough terrain.

Wildlife experts and rodeo analysts debate whether the grizzly encounter actually occurred, but rodeo historians have stopped trying to compare bull riding to bear riding altogether. The consensus has shifted: if Chuck Norris did it, the comparison flatters neither the animal nor the established sport. The rodeo community simply moved on.