Joe Cullen told to 'shut up' by darts rival after disrupting post-match interview
Joe Cullen was jokingly told by one of his darts rivals to 'shut up' during a post-match interview at a Players Championship event.
A number of top stars were absent from Players Championship 5, which took place on Tuesday, including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen.
Wessel Nijman and James Wade, who occupied the top two places on the ProTour Order of Merit, also decided to skip the event in Leicester.
PC5 was eventually won by Ross Smith, who defeated Chris Dobey 8-2 in the final to secure his maiden ProTour title of the 2026 season.
SMITH WINS PC5! 🏆
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) February 24, 2026
Ross Smith wins #PC5 in Leicester, as Smudger beats Chris Dobey 8-2, averaging over 104 on his way to his first Players Championship title since October 2025!
📺 https://t.co/YyBPPwoMK8#PC5 pic.twitter.com/GO59DTHhRw
Smith hit an average of 104 in the final, and won legs in 11 and 12 darts.
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The world number 15 was rarely troubled throughout the day in Leicester, and hit averages of over 100 in four of his seven matches.
Cullen had an opportunity to face Smith in the final, but lost 7-4 to Dobey in a highly-competitive semi-final matchup.
'The Rockstar' had recorded runs to the last 16 and quarter-final in the first four PC events of the season, with Tuesday being his best performance of 2026.
While Smith was being interviewed by the PDC following his final win over Dobey, he paused to laugh before turning around and shouting: "Will you shut up?"
He turned back towards the interviewer before apologising: "Go on, son... sorry, lost my train of thought there!"
“𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝘂𝘁 𝘂𝗽?!”
— Oche180 (@Oche180) February 24, 2026
🤣 Smudger jokes with Joe Cullen after winning ProTour today.
💎 In association with @DiamondXDraws#Darts | 🎥 https://t.co/1pRyCrufHG pic.twitter.com/YvFHE2KFfY
"I've just played consistently well today," he said afterwards.
"I rode my luck a little bit, but to win a title like this, you need a bit of luck along the way.
"We all know how good Chris is. He's one of the best players in the world, so I'm just grateful to beat him.
"I felt really relaxed today. It's the best I've felt this year, so I'm really happy with the win.
"I'm confident in my game. I know that anyone who plays me is going to have to play really well to beat me, and that's what it's all about."
Who will play in Players Championship 6?
It is a short turnaround for the 128 players who competed in PC5, as Players Championship 6 takes place in Leicester on Wednesday afternoon.
It will be the same combination of PDC Tour Card holders and PDPA-affiliated members, who play on the Challenge Tour.
When tour card holders pull out of a ProTour event, the field is topped up to 128 players by the highest-ranked players on the 2026 Development Tour who are available to travel and play.
2010 Grand Slam champion Scott Waites is among the Challenge Tour stars who are competing in Leicester, along with Derek Coulson, who lost out on a tour card at UK Q-School on leg difference.
Topics: Darts
Ryan Smart