WWE SmackDown Preview: 5 Things to Look for in Tonight's Episode (April 27)

Last stop: SmackDown.

Tonight's episode of Friday Night SmackDown will be the final WWE show before this Sunday's Extreme Rules pay-per-view.

Most of us are already looking forward to what will go down in Chicago, but before we get there, we have to get through the go-home Smackdown first.

If you want a segment-by-segment, SPOILER-FREE breakdown of what's going to happen on tonight's show, I wrote one that you can view here.

But you can also stay here for yet another SmackDown preview.

Here are five things to look for in the April 27th edition of Friday Night SmackDown.

Note: I will not reveal the results of any segments/matches, but I will reveal what matches will take place, so STOP reading if you want to be completely surprised.

5. Sheamus vs. Mark Henry in the Main Event

On Monday's Raw, Sheamus faced Mark Henry in a match that barely qualified as one.

Daniel Bryan was the special guest referee for the bout, and he counted the quick pin for Henry, costing Sheamus the match in the process.

That shady finish to Henry/Sheamus on Monday has led to a rematch between the two beasts in the main event of tonight's SmackDown.

The Celtic Warrior and the World's Strongest Man have some history together, stemming from their feud last summer, so this should be a solid match between two guys who have been performing really well in the ring as of late.

The result of this match is obviously important, too, as Sheamus looks to build up some momentum just two days before Extreme Rules.

4. What's Next for AJ?

On last week's SmackDown, we saw a heartbroken AJ absolutely lose it during her match with Natalya.

It appears as if Daniel Bryan's terrible treatment of her finally caused her to snap, and she beat the holy hell out of Natalya, bloodying her lip along the way.

Up until this point, AJ has been the sweet, quiet and submissive (now ex) girlfriend, but it looks like Bryan has made her go mad.

So, what's next for AJ?

While AJ clearly still has feelings for Bryan, she also finally seems to be realizing that Bryan is a jerk.

Could this lead to AJ turning on Bryan or even turning heel?

I don't know, but I do know that she's one of the few WWE divas that I'm actually intrigued by.

3. The Continued Progression of the Tag Team Division

On last week's episode of SmackDown, the Primetime Players (Darren Young and Titus O'Neil) made their official debuts on the blue brand in tag team action.

Young and O'Neil picked up a victory over the Usos, and this week, they'll be back in action again as they face the oddly paired duo of Yoshi Tatsu and Ezekiel Jackson.

We've seen a bit of a tag team revival on Smackdown over the last few weeks, and the Primetime Players appear to be at the forefront of it.

That revival appears to be continuing tonight with Young and O'Neil in tag team action for the second straight week, and I, for one, am all for it.

We need tag team wrestling back in the WWE, and SmackDown is the WWE's wrestling-heavy show and thus, a great place for that to happen.

2. The Final Build for Extreme Rules

We'll be getting three matches from the blue brand at Extreme Rules on Sunday.

They are: Cody Rhodes vs. The Big Show for the Intercontinental Champion (match type TBD), Randy Orton vs. Kane in a Falls Count Anywhere match and Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus in a 2/3 Falls match for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Being that tonight's SmackDown is the go-home show for Extreme Rules, we are obviously going to see the final build for these matches on tonight's show.

None of these feuds have had particularly great build (at least in my view), but I'm most intrigued by what might go down between Sheamus and Bryan on SmackDown tonight.

Orton vs. Kane and Rhodes vs. Show, I could do without. But still, I'll be watching SmackDown to see if creative gives me a reason to watch the pay-per-view on Sunday.

1. Antonio Cesaro's in-Ring Debut

How excited am I about this?

Antonio Cesaro (a.k.a. former ROH star Claudio Castagnoli) made his on-screen debut on last week's SmackDown, but tonight, he makes his in-ring debut.

He will face Tyson Kidd in a "tryout" match, which I guess means that he gets a WWE contract if he wins.

Ceasro is an extremely talented guy, and after waiting for months upon months to see him in the ring, he finally gets his chance...tonight.

Oh yeah, it's also in a match against one of my favorite WWE stars in Kidd.

This should be a great encounter between two very skilled wrestlers who should remain fixtures on Friday Night SmackDown.

Drake Oz is the WWE Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. You can follow him onTwitter and ask him any wrestling-related questions (to be answered in the B/R Mailbag) on Formspring.