Darts star raves about new format that would shake up the sport but raises major fear

World No. 8 Damon Heta has backed plans for the PDC to introduce a Royal Rumble-style darts competition. The proposed format could involve 30 players - the same number as the WWE Royal Rumble - and be played in a winner-stays-on arrangement.

Throwers would be drawn in a random order, with the first two taking to the stage and playing a one-leg shootout. The loser is then replaced by the player drawn third, with fans and the winner of the previous shootout none the wiser about who could emerge next. The competition would proceed until there is only one player left standing, who would be crowned the winner.

Heta thinks a Royal Rumble of darts would be great entertainment, but he does fear that rounding up the world's best players to potentially play just a single leg may be easier said than done.

"The Royal Rumble is a good idea but I just don't think the players are going to come far to play one leg unless you're going to fork out good prize money," the Aussie told . "Just something to keep the players in and interested.

"I would play in it 100 percent. I think a lot of players below the top 16 would play in it. Some above it, they might just see it as an exhibition thing that does not mean anything. If it has a meaning to it, like a ranking thing or maybe you get a Grand Slam spot at the end of it or something like that, then you're going to have the top players rolling up to play in it."

Heta also suggested that the PDC could test out the format at a number of lower-profile events to gather more information on how the crowd responds.

"It could definitely work but it's up to the PDC, obviously," he continued. "Maybe some amateur leagues should test it out to see how it rolls out. Or, exhibition-wise, see whether people roll up and are interested to see how it works."

Former World Darts Championship quarter-finalist Paul Nicholson has also thrown his weight behind a Royal Rumble event. He said: "I think this idea for a Royal Rumble has been floated around for a little while now but nobody has done it before and it is still something the public really want to see.

"The thing about this is it is about audience interaction and it is about surprises because the person on the stage who remains there after winning, they don't know who they are going to play next. And the audience hasn't got a clue who is coming."