Peter Wright's colourful mohawk is the most recognisable hairstyle in darts, and it is different every time he plays. Here is who actually does that hair, how it started, where the Snakebite nickname comes from, and how the two-time world champion is doing in 2026.
Who is Peter Wright? The Scot who walked away from the pro game
Wright was born in Livingston, Scotland, in 1970, moved to London at the age of 3 and has lived in England ever since, though he plays for Scotland. At his first BDO World Championship in 1995 he went out in the first round, then left the pro game. He worked as a builder and a tyre fitter and only played in local leagues. The person who brought him back was his wife Jo: they were watching the 2007 Grand Slam of Darts on TV together, and she encouraged him to go pro again.
The Peter Wright mohawk is done by his wife Jo, a hairdresser
Jo is a hairdresser by trade. Wright says that in 2009 he bought some colourful trousers and then "let Jo go wild" with his hair, and the look grew from there. Before every match Jo spends about 2 hours on his hair, sometimes longer, and the colours and patterns change from event to event. Wright says that time helps him relax and focus. He describes the image as "an evolution of someone who wanted to come out", because "darts is entertainment".
Jo has said the hair sessions are really about getting his head in the right place. She describes him without the look as shy and mumbling, but clear and confident once it is done, "like Jekyll and Hyde".
The Snakebite nickname has nothing to do with the drink
In the UK a snakebite is also a drink, lager mixed with cider, but Wright says the nickname is simply because he likes snakes: "I'm a bit like a snake. Quiet, I like to keep myself to myself, and if you keep poking me, I'll bite you."
Two world titles: 2020 and 2022
The look gets the attention, but the darts are real. In 2014 he reached his first PDC World Championship final and lost to Michael van Gerwen. Six years later, in the 2020 final, he beat MVG 7-3 to win his first world title at 49. He won the World Matchplay in 2021, then beat Michael Smith 7-5 in the 2022 final for his second world title. In March that year, at 51, he became world number one for the first time, the oldest first-time world number one in history.
Peter Wright now: out of the world top 32 in 2026
His form has clearly dropped over the last two years. At the World Championship in December 2024 he still averaged 101 to knock out defending champion Luke Humphries 4-1, but at the December 2025 edition he lost 0-3 to Germany's Arno Merk in the second round. In February 2026 he dropped out of the world top 32 for the first time since 2011, and in September he was ranked 37th. He has said his eyesight may be part of it, and he keeps switching between glasses and contact lenses. Under the rules, staying in the top 40 of the two-year rankings gets him straight into the 2027 PDC World Championship. Whether he walks out at Ally Pally with a colourful mohawk this December is something a lot of long-time fans are watching.
For short profiles of him and other European greats, see Europe's steel-tip stars. For another late-blooming champion, read Rob Cross, from electrician to world champion. If you want to throw a few yourself, AI DARTS is open 24 hours. The menu is here.