DartsNews Podcast | “I can’t remember the last time I saw Peter Wright throw and thought, that’s Peter Wright” – Are we witnessing Snakebite's final chapter?

Peter Wright’s form crisis was one of the central talking points on episode two of the DartsNews Podcast, as Kieran Wood and Nicolas Gayer debated whether the two-time World Champion could be entering the final stretch of his PDC career.

The discussion opened in the newly introduced DartsNews Hot Seat, where Gayer put the question bluntly: Will this be Peter Wright’s last season within the PDC?

Wood did not hesitate on the DartsNews Podcast. “I think yes.” There was no flippancy in the answer. “I’m not happy to say that because I do love Peter Wright, but yeah, things aren’t looking good for him, are they?”

“I can’t remember the last time I saw Peter Wright throw and I thought that’s Peter Wright, you know what I mean?”

That concern is not built on one poor week. It is built on a steady decline that has been gathering momentum since 2025.

Wright failed to qualify for the Grand Slam of Darts for the first time since 2012. His World Championship campaign ended far earlier than he would have hoped. And as the 2026 ProTour season has begun, early exits have become more common than deep runs. “He’s sliding down the rankings. What was it? 70-odd average in midweek in the Pro Tour.”

That particular performance, a heavy 6-0 defeat with an average in the low 70s, crystallised the anxiety. For a player who built a reputation on mid-90s floor consistency and explosive scoring bursts, those numbers are not just below par. They are unrecognisable.

And that word matters. “I can’t remember the last time I saw Peter Wright throw and I thought that’s Peter Wright, you know what I mean?” Wood asked.

The ranking context only sharpens that point. Wright has slipped outside the world’s top 32, a position he had effectively occupied for around 15 years. European Tour qualification is no longer automatic. Seeded protection has vanished. This is not a wobble. It is structural.

The theme returned later in the episode when Wood named Wright as one of his losers of 2026 so far, in a section looking at the biggest winners and losers of the season.

“My first, I’ve got two grouped together, which are Peter Wright and Raymond van Barneveld. Two of the greats of the game, two of the biggest names in our sport. But in 2026, they’ve just been really bad,” Wood said. “Struggling for performances, barely a win between them. Not really what you want to see, is it?”

The phrasing was stark, but the evidence supports it. Wright has struggled to build momentum across multiple floor events. Confidence appears fragile. Equipment changes have re-emerged.

Gayer then circled back to the earlier observation. “I think you’ve made the best point at the beginning of the episode of saying you’ve not had a match or you can’t remember when the last time was when you saw Peter Wright play and you thought, yeah, that’s the two-time world champion we all know.”

Wood pinpointed the last genuine reminder of that version. “Probably against Luke Humphries at the Worlds. Well over a year ago now.”

That matters because it shows the decline is not recent. It has been gradual. The peak performance referenced came in defeat, but even then Wright looked competitive, recognisable, dangerous. That version has not been seen consistently since.

Unlike some veterans whose motivation is questioned, Wright’s situation appears different. “That’s probably the opposite of Peter Wright, isn’t it?” Wood replied to Gayer, who had noted Van Barneveld’s apparent lack of desire. “Because Wright doesn’t need the money. He wants to be there and it’s just still not producing, is it?”

He remains committed. He continues to search for answers. But the rhythm that once defined Snakebite, has faded.

For a player whose aura was built on presence as much as precision, that absence is significant.

The episode’s UK Open preview offered a subtle counterpoint.

Reflecting on Mensur Suljovic’s recent resurgence after years of decline, Wood suggested the Austrian's example should show Wright a darting revival is still possible. “Suljovic’s performances should be something that Peter Wright and Dimitri van den Bergh should look at.”

Suljovic had slipped towards the brink of losing his Tour Card before steady, disciplined rebuilding restored stability. His case shows that ranking slides can be arrested.

That does not guarantee a Wright renaissance. But it prevents inevitability. Because this is the tension at the heart of the debate raised on the DartsNews Podcast.

Wright’s legacy is secure. A World Championship in 2020. Another in 2022. Premier League nights. Major finals. A decade and a half inside the elite. But darts does not reward reputation.

Right now, the numbers are down. The rankings are down. The recognisable version of Snakebite is missing. And until that version returns, the question will remain.Are we witnessing Snakebite’s final chapter?