Why Orange Cassidy's AEW Dynamite Match Finished During Picture-In-Picture
The inside story of Orange Cassidy vs. Jack Evans, which ended during the PIP break last night.
Last night's AEW Dynamite featured something the show has never seen before, as Orange Cassidy vs. Jack Evans ended during one of the episode's picture-in-picture advert breaks, with Cassidy rolling the Hardy Family Office man up for the decisive three.
This was by design. Per Dave Meltzer on today's Wrestling Observer Radio, AEW did it to let the audience know that important things can happen when Dynamite goes picture-in-picture, thus giving them an incentive to stay focused during the breaks.
Meltzer pointed out that wrestling shows often lose up to 30% of their audience when they swing to commercials. AEW is attempting to avoid this, though it is believed that the promotion won't have matches end this way more than once a year.
The picture-in-picture break has been an AEW hallmark since debuting on TNT in October 2019. Interspersed with more traditional ad breaks, it allows for the network to show commercials without fully cutting away from the action.
Cassidy vs. Evans was a continuation of the wider Best Friends vs. HFO storyline. This looks set to conclude at All Out 2021, where Cassidy, Chuck Taylor, Wheeler YUTA, and Jurassic Express will face Matt Hardy, Private Party, and TH2, as announced last night.