Steve Davis won five consecutive World Snooker Championships from 1983 through 1987.
Davis defeated Cliff Thorburn in the 1983 final, then successfully defended the title against Jimmy White in 1984, Doug Mountjoy in 1985, Joe Johnson in 1986 and Joe Johnson again in 1987. The sequence made him the defining champion of the decade.
His 1985 final against Dennis Taylor was especially famous. Davis led 8–0 and 17–16, but Taylor won the deciding frame on the final black in one of snooker’s most memorable finishes. Davis nevertheless retained the title in the broader five-year run.
Davis won six world titles in total, adding the 1981 championship before his five consecutive victories. Stephen Hendry later matched a five-title winning sequence from 1990 to 1994, but the 1983–1987 run belongs to Steve Davis.