“Most of them are probably at home on benefits” – Wesley Plaisier responds wittily to negative online comments

Wesley Plaisier firmly put himself on the map in a single evening at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship. The 35-year-old Dutchman produced one of the tournament’s biggest shocks in the second round by comfortably defeating former world champion Gerwyn Price 3-0 in sets. A performance that impressed not only on stage, but also had immediate repercussions off it.

The win over Price, the ninth seed at Alexandra Palace this year, brought Plaisier a flood of congratulations. “My phone literally exploded after the match. I had never experienced anything like it,” he told Sportnieuws.nl. He describes the clash as the match of his life, marking not only his breakthrough on the biggest stage, but also a new status within the darts world.

Among the many messages was a congratulations from a source that, at first glance, was surprising. “I even got a message from Joey Veerman,” says Plaisier. “We don’t really speak, but he congratulated me via Instagram. Really nice that he sent a message.”

The connection is striking because Plaisier is known as a Feyenoord supporter and Veerman plays for PSV. That often creates sharp divides among sports fans, but Plaisier puts it in perspective with ease. “Of course I’ve been disappointed when he scored against Feyenoord. But away from sport we’re all professional toward each other.”

Not all the attention is positive. Plaisier also notices that success attracts criticism, especially on social media. Some reactions target his appearance. He takes it in stride. “Haters make you stronger.”

He makes it clear he won’t be distracted. “I try to shut it out. I don’t respond anyway. I read it very occasionally, but I don’t care at all. I see it as people who are jealous. Most of them are probably at home on benefits.”

With the success, a nickname also surfaced. On social media and in comments, Plaisier was often referred to as ‘Big Wes’. Remarkably, he has no official nickname within the PDC.

“An announcer at the Euro Tour called me Big Wes and after that the name popped up more often.” Whether that name sticks, he leaves to others. “But I’m not really bothered about it.”

From a sporting perspective, the focus is now fully on the next round. After the Christmas break, Plaisier returns to Alexandra Palace for his third round, where Krzysztof Ratajski awaits. The Pole reached this stage with wins over Alexis Toylo and Ryan Joyce.

Although Plaisier appears the favorite on paper after his win over Price, he guards against complacency. “I think it will be 50/50. People say: You beat Price, then he’s a pushover. But that’s not how I see it, I just have to be sharp against him again.”

The match against Ratajski is the first after the Christmas break and is scheduled for the early afternoon of Saturday, December 27th. With another win, the last 16 would bring the winner of Andrew Gilding versus Luke Woodhouse.