WWE: Sasha Banks on Origin of Bank Statement, ThunderDome Update, Upated SD Ratings

Sasha Banks Comments on Origin of Her Bank Statement Finisher

A recent episode of the Sailor Moon Fanclub podcast had Sasha Banks as the guest and one of the topics discussed included the origin of Banks’ Bank Statement submission finisher.

“When I was trying to find my character and had to be a bad guy, I wanted a whole new finisher because I was just doing a neckbreaker. It’s cute, but it’s basic because everyone does a neckbreaker and I’m not trying to be basic in WWE. I really loved the backstabber and how it looked. I was really small and I needed a finisher I could do to everybody. One day, I went to training and asked the head trainer to help me. He said, ‘I like the backstabber, but how about you flip it into a crossface.’ I was like, ‘Ohhhhh, money, money, money, like a bank statement.’ That’s what I do, I leave a statement. I take that change, put it in the back, cha chang, and I make these girls tap out. I can get that sucker on anybody, really fast, and in any variation.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com

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WWE ThunderDome Status Update

As noted before, WWE’s ThunderDome is currently expected to be leaving Tropicana Field in Tampa in early April due to the Tampa Bay Rays needing their stadium for the upcoming MLB baseball season. One rumored location for the ThunderDome’s next home is the Yuengling Center at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida.

Spectrum Sports 360’s Jon Alba reported on Twitter that his sources stated that WWE officials are indeed currently working on plans to move their ThunderDome stage to the Yuengling Center. Alba reported that University of South Florida officials recently stated that they would not be surprised if WWE moved to their school for shows and believed the venue’s schedule had an opening available for WWE.

Alba also reported that it is currently not known if WWE would allow fans to attend their new ThunderDome venue nor if they will be reusing the same ThunderDome stage due to the Yuengling Center being smaller than the Amway Center and Tropicana Field.

The expectation among multiple people I have spoken to in #WWE is they will remain in the Tampa area after the Tropicana Field ThunderDome ends ahead of the #Rays season. They all believe they are headed to #USF’s Yuengling Center (fka the Sun Dome) for at least a period of time.

— Jon Alba (@JonAlba) March 15, 2021

The Yuengling Center is on the University of South Florida campus and hosts several of the school’s teams (Omos used to play basketball there). A few days ago a #USF said they wouldn’t be surprised to see the move happen and believed the schedule was open. #WWE

— Jon Alba (@JonAlba) March 15, 2021

I do not know the status of fans present, or if it would be the ThunderDome setup. The Yuengling Center is smaller than Amway Center or Tropicana Field, capacity is about 10,400. #WWE

— Jon Alba (@JonAlba) March 15, 2021

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Updated WWE Friday Night SmackDown Ratings

This past Friday’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown drew a final viewership of 2,171,000 on FOX, according to Showbuzz Daily. This was up compared to the initial overnight number of 2,010,000 viewers on the network.