Call of Duty: Denial Esports hint at signing a top squad from CWL Vegas

Albert Petrosyan

North American esports organization Denial Esports are seemingly on the verge of signing a Call of Duty team and it may be one of the stronger squads that the NA region has to offer. 

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Denial have been all but nonexistent in the CoD competitive scene since Advanced Warfare, after winning the prestigious Call of Duty Championship and placing second at the MLG World Finals in 2015.

However, the org has made it clear that they’re prepared to recruit and field a team this Black Ops 4 season, made further evident by these tweets they put out on December 23 and 24.

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While nothing has been officially announced, or even leaked, there are signs that point to Denial possibly looking into signing the team that represented Str8 Rippin at the recent $250,000 CWL Vegas tournament, the first major event of the Black Ops 4 season.

That roster currently features Michael ‘SpaceLy’ Schmale, Michaek ‘MajorManiak’ Szymaniak, Jared ‘Nagafen’ Harrell, Colt ‘Havok’ McLendon, and Chance ‘Maux’ Moncivaez.

The team performed very well at CWL Vegas, qualifying for Pool Play via the qualifier tournament, going 3-1 in pool C to finish second and ahead of powerhouse teams FaZe Clan and Envy, and making a strong run in the Championship Bracket to finish 7th-8th overall and securing a spot in the CWL Pro League qualifier tournament. 

The former Str8 Rippin roster (left to right): Nagafen, SpaceLy, Maux, MajorManiak, Havok

After CWL Vegas, despite their strong performance, the roster and Str8 Ripping mutually parted ways, which was part of their original agreement that they would be representing the org for the first event only.

Considering that they are the only free agent North American team to have finished in the top-24, it would certainly make sense for Denial to make a strong push to bring them onboard, especially since they are in the market to sign a team.

SpaceLy and co. have also made it clear that they want to sign with a serious org on a permanent basis for the remainder of the season, which Denial and their championship pedigree could provide. 

Perhaps the biggest and most telltale sign that this partnership is bound to happen is the fact that Denial publicly purchased a rather expensive jacket for SpaceLy as a Christmas gift.

SpaceLy had tweeted out about a Moncler Maya jacket on December 19, to which Denial’s official Twitter page responded with a simple “Merry Christmas” message.

On December 24, SpaceLy tweeted out again that the org had indeed gone through with the $1,175 purchase and sent him the jacket. 

While this is not definitive proof of any sort or by any means, it would certainly seem strange for Denial to spend over a 1000 dollars on a piece of clothing for a free agent CoD player who doesn’t have much to do with them.

With all of these developments coming to light, it’s worth keeping an eye out for any more hints or signs, or even a potential announcement coming in the near future. 

About The Author

Albert is a former esports and gaming writer, focused particularly on Call of Duty and content creators. Spending over three years at Dexerto, Albert eventually now works with streamer NICKMERCS and the MFAM group. You can find Albert @AlbertoRavioli on Twitter.