After Nathan Aspinall reached the semi-finals for only the second time in his career yesterday, The Asp came unstuck against a superb Price - and, above all, against himself.
The Englishman struggled repeatedly to find his rhythm on the leg. He showed major weaknesses both at the start and at the finish.
Price was always there with impeccable timing and quickly raced into a 3-0 lead. The third set in particular dealt a telling blow.
A textbook finish
Aspinall, who was stuck in the Madhouse, was promptly punished by the Welshman, who once again appeared visibly lifted by such moments.
But then the slight pre-match underdog finally found his breakthrough, helped by a massive drop in Price's average. After losing two sets in a row, Aspinall was able to apply pressure again by pulling it back to 4-2.
The man from Stockport needed to summon his fighting spirit. But contrary to his nickname, Price was on fire, throwing six perfect darts in the seventh leg before producing a superb finish to seal a 5-2 victory. He will now face Luke Humphries in the 18th major final of his career.
Humphries shows his class
Cool Hand Luke had won the last three clashes with Wade, who had most recently beaten the former world champion at last year's UK Open.
But the veteran was in outstanding form, having lost just one match since mid-August, and brought that energy straight onto the Leicester stage.
After a few wobbles in his normally formidable finishing, Humphries edged ahead. The standard rose significantly in the second set, but Wade stood firm under the pressure.
The turning point was a break featuring a 141 checkout in the third leg, which allowed him to level after holding his throw.
The see-saw continued after that, with the spectators treated to a match of the highest quality.
Even after four sets, neither player had established a clear direction. Humphries raised his scoring again in the fifth set (95.23 to 76.84), while Wade repeatedly struggled to get into the leg.
Those problems carried over into the next set, where Wade surrendered it despite holding a break lead and effectively handed Humphries the match.
The world number two needed no second invitation and converted his match dart to set up Sunday's showdown with Price.