1979 saw Reardon regain his "Pot Black" title by defeating Mountjoy 2–1 in the final. It was Reardon's first win since he won the inaugural event in 1969, although he was runner up in 1970, 1972 and 1980. At the 1979 World Championship, he lost to Dennis Taylor in the quarter-final, and was eliminated by David Taylor at the same stage in 1980. He went a stage further in 1981, beating Spencer 13–11 and Werbeniuk 13–10 before being defeated Mountjoy in the semi-finals. Mountjoy scored a championship record break of 145 during the match, which he won 16–10.