Michael Smith tore into Peter Wright after the Scot made a sly dig about his fellow former world darts champion.
Earlier this year, Smith and current world champ Luke Humphries teamed up for England at the World Cup of Darts, where they clashed with the Scotland pair of Wright and Gary Anderson. Wright, who will face Humphries in the last 16 at Alexandra Palace on Sunday night, is renowned for making bold predictions and getting under the skin of his rivals with verbal digs.
‘Snakebite’ aimed one such dig at Smith at the World Cup. After England won their quarter-final against Northern Ireland, Humphries and Smith were filmed walking past Wright and Anderson backstage at the arena in Frankfurt. At that point, Wright chirped: “How’s your shoulders, Luke?” implying that Humphries had been carrying the team.
England then saw off Scotland 10-4 in the semi-finals before beating Austria in the final. Afterwards, Smith couldn’t resist taking a shot back at Wright, who had just finished at the bottom of the Premier League table following a torrid campaign.
“We won the quarters and Peter Wright walked past, asking Luke how his shoulders were. The guy has just averaged 78 and he's trying to give me s***,” blasted the 2023 world champion.
“Then we had an argument, not an argument, but he was trying to give me a bit of banter backstage. Peter, you're not good enough, mate. It's just the same as everything else, and that guy should have some strong shoulders because he's been holding the Premier League up for two years!”
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Smith also shared a Sky Sports clip of Wright declaring that he and Anderson would “smash up England” in the semis, along with a picture of him and Humphries with their winners’ medals around their necks.
Humphries and Wright will renew their rivalry at the Worlds after both came through their third-round ties. Earlier in the tournament, Wright predicted that Humphries would be dumped out by Raymond van Barneveld, only for the out-of-form Dutchman to be knocked out by Nick Kenny in the second round.
Referring to Wright’s wild predictions, Humphries said after beating Kenny: “He’s had a lot to say over the last couple of weeks where he says that he doesn’t fear me and Luke Littler.
“He says he’s going to smash us. So, yeah, I mean, all the pressure’s on him now because if he doesn’t, then the eggs on his face, not mine.
“I’m really, really relaxed and, if he doesn’t beat us, then it’s going to look silly on him, not me. I mean, I wanted to say something back, but I’m like, 'Nah, let’s leave it'.”
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