Not true, P4U's hold A to tech functionality is nice and it is in CP, but generally smarter players know what their opponents combos are and will not hold A to tech until the end of the combo to avoid getting reset. It's a gamble though because not holding A can also get you reset.
All in all, I think it's just more likely he wasn't holding A to tech, realized he didn't get hit with RB follow up, teched late and got reset by 6c because he wasn't holding barrier.
Who knows though.