Wrestling fans worldwide were disappointed Monday night when an Intercontinental Championship bout reached its conclusion while WWE Raw was on a commercial break.

When flamboyant newcomer Fandango won the championship with a spectacular legdrop from the top rope, fans were still watching an advertisement for Bioshock Infinite, followed by a WWE public service announcement about bullying.

Once the live broadcast of Raw resumed, fans watching at home merely caught a glimpse of the new champion prancing his way to the locker room.

“World Wrestling Entertainment regrets this unfortunate timing, but such is the nature of broadcasting an unpredictable sport such as professional wrestling on live television,” said a press release issued this morning by WWE.

Many fans are reportedly puzzled by the unprecedented nature of the mishap, since no match in the history of televised wrestling has ever reached its conclusion during a commercial.

Some pundits have pointed out that, at live events, wrestlers often seem to apply long submission holds or lie around on the ringside floor for two minutes until a commercial break is over.

“I know this will sound crazy,” wrote one anonymous fan in an online forum, “but it almost seems as if the referees get messages from producers in a hidden earpiece, which allows them to alert the wrestlers when a commercial break has ended.”

Such conspiracy theories are, of course, pure nonsense.