Luke Littler’s nickname is almost as famous as the man himself.
Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler rolls off the tongue and is bellowed around every arena he enters by Master of Ceremonies John McDonald.
The teenager came up with the iconic nickname with his father in a pub a few years ago and it has stuck.
However, former player and Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle has suggested a new nickname for the Premier League Champion.
Wayne Mardle tells Luke Littler to drop ‘The Nuke’
‘The Nuke’ is plastered over Littler’s replica shirts and merchandise and is unlikely to be ditched anytime soon.
That didn’t stop Mardle from taking to X, formerly Twitter, to pass on advice to the Warrington youngster.
He said: “@LukeTheNuke180 Pal. I’ve been thinking. This may have already been discussed, apologies if so. Anyway..I think you should use the nickname “ The Duke “. Luke The Duke Littler. It carries authority, importance, gravitas, There you go. No charge. See you soon.”
Littler responded in style, using the pundit’s own catchphrase against him.
He replied: “COME ON NOWWWWWW” and added a laughing emoji at the end of the jovial exchange.
‘The Nuke’ is here to stay
Darts has had some iconic nicknames and ‘The Nuke’ is right up there.
It’s short, to the point and perfectly encapsulates the 17-year-old’s explosiveness on stage.
Littler and his management have been experts in marketing the teenager, and it’s impossible to attend a darts event without seeing a sea of replica shirts.
He has attracted new eyes to the sport and Michael Smith told Darts Now he’s more famous than 16-time World Champion Phil Taylor.
Expect to hear “Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler” echo around arenas across the globe for many years to come.
An exception to this is the 2024 World Cup which begins tomorrow, as Luke Humphries and Smith wear the England shirts.