Paul Nicholson has labelled Jocky Wilson's second world title as the greatest comeback in darts history. The Scottish crowd favourite first became world champion in 1982, then slipped out of the elite for years before sensationally reclaiming the throne in 1989.
Wilson grew into one of the sport's most recognisable figures in the 1980s. In 1982 he captured his first world title by beating John Lowe 5-3 in the final. The Scot became a cult hero and achieved mainstream fame beyond darts. "When he won the world title in 1982, Jocky was a cult hero. His picture had famously appeared on Top of the Pops with Dexys Midnight Runners, people knew him from Bullseye and he was a genuine celebrity," Nicholson said in his Sporting Life column.
Yet winning the world title did not automatically set a player up for life. "We have to remember that being world champion in those days didn't automatically give you limousines and first-class travel. These guys could still be struggling for a living, going from place to place, exhibition to exhibition, and that lifestyle took its toll."
In the years after his first world title, Wilson drifted out of sight. By the end of the decade, his time at the very top seemed over for good. "By 1987, John Lowe was beating Eric Bristow for the world title and the question with Jocky was almost: where is he? He was in obscurity. People didn't really know what he was up to and you could easily have thought he was going to become one of those one-time world champions we reference years later and say: 'Oh, what happened to him?'"
Two years later came an unexpected resurgence. Wilson returned to the World Championship in 1989 and reached the final, where he faced five-time world champion Eric Bristow. "Then, in 1989, he turned up at Lakeside. Out of obscurity, looking fresher in that famous white shirt. That's why I think we sometimes tell the story of that final slightly wrongly."
That title decider is best remembered for Bristow's huge fightback. Wilson raced into a commanding lead, only for the Englishman to battle his way right back into the match. In the end, though, it was Wilson who kept his composure and became world champion again. "Everybody remembers Eric Bristow coming back from 5-0 down and taking Jocky all the way before Jocky eventually won the deciding set. That's obviously an incredible comeback within the match. But what gets lost – and I don't want people to forget this – is that Jocky winning the title was the biggest comeback of all."
Wilson faced his share of problems away from the oche. He struggled with alcohol for years and battled health issues. The Scot was also known to withdraw from the public eye for long spells. "He had spent years away from the very top of the game. He'd struggled. We know he had his problems with alcohol and we know he could be very reclusive. Yet when he came out of his shell, he provided moments some people can only dream of," Nicholson continued.
One of those moments came when Wilson pinned double 10 to crown himself world champion for the second time. Nicholson urges every darts fan to watch the footage again. "Go back and watch it. The camerawork from the BBC is genius. There's that little zoom-in on Jocky just before he throws the dart and it makes the whole moment even more impactful."
For Nicholson, the 1989 final ranks among the sport's absolute classics. "That 1989 final is one of the most important darts matches of all time and I won't hear any different from anybody. Sometimes we get so lost in everything that has happened in the PDC era that we forget the gravitas darts had before the split. Millions upon millions of people were watching that match and for me it was on a par with Dennis Taylor beating Steve Davis in the World Snooker final of 1985. It was that important."
According to Nicholson, that is why too much attention goes to Bristow's in-match comeback, while Wilson's seven-year resurgence was the far bigger tale. "But the comeback of Jocky is the story. It wasn't Bristow's ability to come back from 5-0 and take the final all the way. It was Jocky coming back from winning the World Championship in 1982 to winning it again seven years later."
Nicholson points to Gary Anderson and Michael van Gerwen. Anderson claimed his second consecutive world title in 2016 and has been waiting for number three since. "Gary Anderson won his last world title in 2016 and if you'd said to him that night, 'That's your last one,' he'd probably have looked at you and said: 'You're having a laugh, aren't you?' Since then he's been back in World Championship finals. He was in that incredible 2017 final and again in 2021. He was close to another one in 2026. But there's still no guarantee he'll ever win another world title."
Nicholson says the same applies to Van Gerwen. The Dutchman claimed his third and, for now, last world title in 2019. "Michael van Gerwen's last one was in 2019. He's reached World Championship finals since then too, but he hasn't managed to get his hands on that trophy again. That's the point. When you're talking about gaps between world-title wins, the longer that gap becomes, the more unlikely another one is." At the 2016 Worlds, Anderson won his second and last world title by beating Adrian Lewis 7-5 in sets in the final.
That is precisely why Nicholson believes Wilson's achievement should not be viewed simply as his second world title. The circumstances and the seven-year gap between his two global triumphs give that title extra weight, according to the former pro. "Seven years is enormous. That's why what Jocky did should never be reduced to simply being 'another world title'. He disappeared from the very top of the sport, people wondered what had happened to him, and then seven years after becoming world champion for the first time he came back and did it again. For me, that's the biggest comeback darts has ever seen."
Nicholson sees only one scenario in which Wilson might lose that status. For that to happen, Anderson would need to add a third world title to his résumé. "And unless Gary Anderson somehow wins another World Championship more than a decade after his last one, Jocky's will remain the benchmark."
