World number one Michael van Gerwen kicked off the defence of his Premier League crown with a 7-5 victory over current world champion Peter Wright.
In a rematch of the World Championship final on New Year's Day, the pair were evenly matched and were tied at 5-5 before van Gerwen powered home.
Glen Durrant and Nathan Aspinall were both victorious on their debut in the competition, beating Michael Smith and hometown hero John Henderson.
Gary Anderson made a winning return to the Premier League with a battling display against Daryl Gurley, while Gerwyn Price and Rob Cross played out a draw.
MVG rallies late to secure victory over world champion Wright
Van Gerwen and Wright played out the game of the night with the former getting a little bit of revenge, following a loss in the World Championship final, with victory on the opening night.
Snakebite started quickly, racing into a 2-0 lead, but was punished by MVG, who won the next three legs, capitalising on missed chances at the double from Wright.
The pair were tied at 5-5, after Wright checked out an impressive 157, but van Gerwen powered home in the final two legs, securing the victory with a 105 checkout, his fourth ton-plus finish of the game.
Durrant, a three-time Lakeside champion, started life in the Premier League by getting off to a flying start with a 7-3 win against Smith.
Smith, who missed match darts to win the Masters last weekend, pegged back Durrant after hitting an 11-dart leg to make it 2-2. However, two break of throws put the Middlesbrough ace 5-2 up and in control.
Durrant won five of the final six legs, punishing missed darts at the double from Smith, to record his first ever win in the competition – finishing with an average of 95.01.
Anderson makes winning return in Premier League
Two-time Premier League champion Anderson made a winning return, but was pushed all the way by Daryl Gurney. The first six legs went with the throw, with the following four going against as the two players were tied at 5-5.
The Flying Scotsman, with the crowd right behind him, turned it on towards the end to win the final three legs at a canter to start off the competition with a victory.
Aspinall, the second player to make his Premier League debut on the opening night, followed up his run to the semi-final of the Masters last weekend by beating hometown hero Henderson.
The two players couldn’t be separated after four legs, but Aspinall went up a gear and won five of the final six legs to secure a 7-3 victory - including checking out a brilliant 170 in the ninth leg.
On the final night of the evening, Price and Cross played out an entertaining 6-6 draw. Cross fought back from 4-2 down to lead 6-4, but Price won the final two legs to pick up a point.