MINNEAPOLIS –– Exciting rivalries, frustrating issues and dominant personalities made it to the main stage in the first weekend of the newly born Call of Duty League. While there were exciting and compelling moments, there were also underwhelming occurrences.

Here are some of the winners and losers -- other than those that can be found in the league table -- from Call of Duty League’s launch weekend.

Winners

The Drama: It seemed like every team had beef with another.

Some of the trash talk was sincere and there were true grudges –– Dallas’ Ian “Crimsix” Porter had a bone to pick with some old teammates of his from OpTic Gaming that now make Chicago’s roster. There was playful banter, too. A portion of the most electric moments at The Armory took place before and after matches.

Not even the host, the Minnesota Rokkr, were safe from harsh words. Toronto Ultra star Anthony “Methodz” Zinni had something to share about geographical relevance after his squad defeated Seattle Saturday afternoon.

Though the Rokkr got the last laugh when it beat Toronto, 3-1, to close the weekend Sunday night.

TRUE NORTH BABY! GGs Toronto Ultra we won 3-1! #ROKKR — Røkkr Adam (@GODRX) January 27, 2020

The two Europe-based teams, the Paris Legion and London Royal Ravens, were projected to be bottom-feeders in the preseason power rankings.

Both picked up wins in their first matches and spoke their piece to an accepting crowd, too.

The Undecided: Dallas Empire and Seattle Surge disappointed with 0-2 weekends, but fans attending the event wanting close matches were the ultimate winners.

Four matches across Friday and Saturday went all five rounds and the stars were out to play. Opening the season with Chicago vs. Dallas lets fans waste no time witnessing a grudge match.

Toronto and Seattle, the Los Angeles Guerrillas and Florida and Optic Gaming LA and Paris made for three consecutive matches going five rounds. All resulted in seat-gripping search and destroy matches to secure wins.

While there was a downside to this that will be brought up later, fans who wanted close matches received plenty.

The Venue: Many of the details about the first weekend were far from perfect, but the setup the Rokkr put together at The Armory received endless praise from players.

“The venue is actually incredible,” Crimsix said after a 3-0 loss to Atlanta on Saturday. “It’s probably one of the best venues we’ve seen and hopefully every single event is like this, in a stadium setting.”

The Empire’s veteran added that playing in convention centers isn’t fun for the players and that if the League can help it, playing in venue similar to The Armory would be the most enjoyable experience.

The casters booth, the lighting and graphics capability and the stage itself made for a true professional setting. The Armory may have earned the biggest win of the weekend.

Losers

Last in Line: All the close matches that went all five maps were great for spectators, but less than optimal for teams that were last on the day’s slate. Dallas and Atlanta had it the worst on Saturday.

Only an hour and 15 minutes were allotted for entire matches on the original schedule and most nearly reached the two-hour mark. Dallas and Atlanta were supposed to play at 6:30 p.m. CT and didn’t start until 9:20 p.m.

Dallas star James “Clayster” Eubanks tweeted “(please) can we play,” 90 minutes after the Empire were supposed to go on. The delay also foiled the team’s postgame plans.

We were supposed to do a signing tonight but since it’s running late it’s lookin chalked. Apologize to y’all that we won’t be able to do it, we miiiiight try and hang around the venue afterwards to get some done, but no promises! — Empire Clayster (@Clayster) January 26, 2020

Even with Dallas getting swept and it being one of the fastest matches of the evening, it still didn’t wrap up until 10:30.

Whether it’s allowing matches more time, not plugging five matches in an afternoon or starting earlier, that kind of schedule won’t age well.

Technical issues: The first wave of issues began on Thursday when most teams couldn’t practice due to the Playstations provided not working properly. This frustrated players and Crimsix listed that dilemma as his only complaint for the host.

Teams had to wait several hours through the afternoon before scrimmages were possible again. Considering a new patch was introduced to the game on Wednesday, making sure teams are able to practice should probably be a priority in the future.

Opening night on Friday began with a small delay, too. Dallas and Chicago couldn’t properly get into their lobbies for several minutes, forcing casters to bide for time. This was only minor compared to the practice predicament. It’s a loss for the weekend, but technical issues can also be expected when an entire league based on technology makes a debut. This will likely improve.

Building an Empire: Losing twice in the opening weekend after talking all the smack and being projected a top-two team in the league wasn’t ideal for Dallas.

The Empire were frustrated having to work around a new patch just days before playing, but that’s something every team dealt with equally. They just felt they were leaps and bounds stronger at the former state of the game.

Either way, Dallas started its season in a hole with zero points (10 points are granted to teams for each victory). The good news for the group is that this wasn’t a tournament, where 50 points are on the line for the winner.

Crimsix and Clayster showed their leadership in defeat, though.

The latter put the losses on himself.

Played like shit this weekend when I wanted to do better for the kids debut on LAN. Gonna buckle back down and work on my craft, cannot be having poor performances like that consistently. Sorry to everyone we let down, we’ll try and do better next one. — Empire Clayster (@Clayster) January 26, 2020

The former showed his support for the team’s younger players in Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro and Indervir “iLLeY” Dhaliwal. Both played in their first major tournaments over the weekend and had to face some of the world’s greatest to ever pick up the sticks.