Where 11 men who beat Phil Taylor at World Championship are now as one falls off a cliff

Long before took the darting world by storm, it was who had the sport in a chokehold. No person in the history of the has won more titles than Taylor. In truth, nobody has ever - and probably will never - come close.

Two of his titles came in the WDF prior to the PDC's arrival, of which Taylor was one of the organisation's founding members. The Stoke-born sensation went on to dominate the Worlds, winning an astonishing 14 more titles - his last of which came in 2013 when he beat Michael van Gerwen at the Alexandra Palace.

The Green Machine wasn't among the 11 men to beat Taylor at a World Championship, but had it not been for his final victor, Rob Cross, the Power would've finished with 17 world titles to his name instead. Nowadays, Premier League regular Cross is one of the biggest names in the darting world, but that wasn't always the case.

Back at the 2018 edition of the tournament, former electrician Cross sprung a surprise by making it to the final and defeating the record champion, who was competing in his final Ally Pally event. Commenting on Voltage's performance, Taylor said in 2018: "I tried my best, I just hadn't got that push against him. He was like me 25 years ago, he was good and he was relentless. He just doesn't stop putting you under pressure and that's the way I used to be. He is a lot like myself trust me, he's dedicated, he's listened, he's learned."

Other notable stars who have beaten Taylor at the Worlds and are still active on the circuit include, Raymond van Barneveld, Dave Chisnall, Michael Smith and , who beat the arguable best darts player of all time in the 2015 final. Anderson, yet to win the sport's biggest prize, edged an enthralling 7-6 clash against Taylor, with some labelling the showdown the best-ever final in World Championship history.

The same notoriety isn't reserved for Jelle Klaasen - a once promising darts protege, who currently sits 82nd in the world rankings. Klaasen was matched up against Taylor back in the 2016 edition of the tournament, with the Dutchman getting the better of the then 15-time world champion in the third round.

It remains one of the biggest upsets in Taylor's career, with Dennis Priestley and Kevin Spiolek having also tasted victory over Taylor on a World Championship stage. Alongside John Part and Wayne Mardle, who can now be seen offering up analysis on Sky Sport's darts coverage.