Paul Nicholson was often one of the more controversial stars on the PDC Tour ‘The Asset’ upsetting many of the big hitters in the 2010s.
The star would often annoy opponents with his antics on stage as he punched above his wait on the PDC Tour.
The 2010 Players Championship Finals winner started a feud with Phil Taylor after waving goodbye to The Power when he beat him at the 2011 UK Open.
Nicholson also sat down, mimicking WWE superstar CM Punk, during Taylor’s entrance in an attempt to anger The Power.
At the World Cup in 2012, however, it was Nicholson who lost his cool and a cameraman paid the price of the World Darts Championship quarter-finalists’ ire.
Paul Nicholson ‘ricocheted’ darts at cameraman after Adrian Lewis loss
In 2012, Simon Whitlock and Nicholson found themselves in the World Cup Final against his old nemesis Taylor and Adrian Lewis.
In one of the most hotly contested finals in the competition history, the match went to a sudden death leg that went the way of England, and Taylor and Lewis lifted the trophy for their country.
The result displeased Nicholson who showed his disgust by launching his darts in anger. Speaking to The Darts Show, The Asset revealed: “Adrian (Lewis) was just constantly on me the whole tournament even when we weren’t playing each other.
Before we played each other in the singles, he was properly going at me backstage and I thought there’s only one way to shut you up and that’s to beat you.”
“My darts in my hand I thrust them onto the stage in anger that we lost the final. One of them ricocheted and hit a cameraman.”
Nicholson, born in Newcastle, qualified to play for Australia due to his dual citizenship.
What did Phil Taylor think of Paul Nicholson?
Taylor and Nicholson’s feud in the early 2010s was one of the most compelling pieces of drama in PDC history as The Asset often tried to goad the darting legend off his game.
Taylor would rarely react on stage, but he did reveal his thoughts on the controversial darts star in an interview with the BBC.
The Power said: “I think he’s very, very silly. I don’t dislike him as a person, I think he’s alright, but he’s trying to make a name by using his mouth.”
Taylor had a 92% success rate over Nicholson with 23 wins from the 25 games they played together. Nicholson’s most high-profile win was a 10-9 victory at the Players Championship Finals.