[2000-09-30-IWA-PR] Chris Jericho vs Chris Benoit

[soup23]

Jericho cuts a promo for the crowd beforehand and the crowd is jacked for him. Helping out on the NEVER EVERRRR part. This was worked like a Raw match between the two which isn’t a slight. Good work and energy, just only seven minutes of action. Unfortunately, the ref bumps are really starting to grate on me and we get another shoddy ref here as he has a cramp in his leg as soon as Jericho has Benoit tapping in the Walls of Jericho. A miraculous recovery occurs when Benoit locks on the crossface as the referee calls for the bell immediately. Enough with the evil ref trope of 2000. **1/4

[ohtani's jacket]

Why were these two fighting in Puerto Rico? When did Bruce Prichard turn into a heel ref all of a sudden? Match didn't have the same vibe with the Puerto Rico commentators discussing JWA angles over the top of it. 

[GSR]

Jericho is over huge with the Puerto Rican fans, even cutting the opening part of his promo in Spanish for them.  Hmm, the referee looks very much like Bruce Prichard.  Y2J flips over on the belly to back suplex and dropkicks Benoit who sails out through the ropes to the floor.  As he climbs back up on the apron he’s met by a springboard dropkick.  Baseball slide dropkick, however ‘the Crippler’ reverses the whip on the outside sending Y2J crashing into the guard rail.  They return to the ring where Benoit picks up a two count after a running elbow smash.  Jericho’s arm drops twice while in the rear chinlock, but before it does for a third time he fights his way to his feet and forces the escape with a series of elbows to the mid-section.   Flying forearm, bulldog, no Lionsault though.  Benoit reverses the tombstone into a shoulderbreaker but fails to connect on the diving headbutt.  ‘Walls of Jericho’ when the referee, who I’m now sure is Bruce Prichard, falls to the mat clutching his knee and doesn’t see Benoit tapping.  Y2J lets go to see what he’s playing but when he turns around, Benoit snatches his arm and locks in the crossface.  Prichard’s knee recovers instantaneously and he immediately calls for the bell even though Jericho never submitted and is waving his finger to signal he didn’t.

Is Bruce Prichard a heel ref in IWA-PR?  Was this some angle they were working for the local market?  Not at the level of their WWF TV matches and this was worked on autopilot by both.