WWE Smackdown Spoilers: Spoiler-Included Analysis of This Week's Show (May 4)

I wish that Friday Night Smackdown wasn't taped.

That way, I could avoid the spoilers for a change. 

But since Smackdown is almost always taped in advance, I once again failed to avoid the spoilers for this week's show.

So, like always, I know what's going to happen tomorrow night before it actually airs, and I'll head in to Smackdown either happy or not so happy about certain things that will go down.

Join me as I ponder those things in this week's spoiler-included analysis of Smackdown, where I give you guys and gals the full set of spoilers and offer my thoughts on three likes/dislikes about the show.

Full Spoilers

The following spoilers for the May 4th SmackDown are brought to you by Prowrestling.net (via WrestleZone.com):

Lilian introduced World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus, who cut a brief promo to start the show. Sheamus said he loves to fight (a promo straight out of Finlay's playbook) so when Daniel Bryan asked for a rematch he simply answered "YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!" [Cue loud "YES!" chants from the Toledo crowd.] Out came Daniel Bryan. Sheamus continued "YESing" through Bryan's entrance. Doesn't look like we're getting the main event that was advertised last night.

1. Sheamus and Daniel Bryan fought to an apparent no-contest. Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez interfered to cause the finish. Ricardo hit a (from my vantage-point) picture-perfect cross body on Sheamus followed by a kick from ADR. Bryan then locked Sheamus in the Yes! Lock before being pulled off by Scott Armstrong and Chad Patton. Daniel Bryan then argued with ADR and Rich Rod, almost coming to blows.

Backstage, the WWE medical staff evaluated Sheamus.

2. WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston and R-Truth defeated Hunico and Canacho. Primo, Epico and Rosa (accompanied by AW) were out before the bell to watch the match. They "scouted" from chairs that were set up on the ramp.

3. Brodus Clay defeated Jack Swagger (w/Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero) via DQ when Ziggler interfered. Ziggler took what looked like a hellacious bump from Brodus's running headbutt on the outside apron by the announce table. Dolph, again, sells like a champ. I'm interested to see how that looks on TV. Clay cleared the ring of Ziggler/Swagger following the interference and danced w/five kids in the ring (JYD-style) after the match. Nice touch.

The advertised main event for the night was now Randy Orton and Big Show vs. Kane and Cody Rhodes.

The same Extreme Rules video package from last night was shown, modified slightly to include the final segment from last night's Raw with John Cena and John Laurinaitis.

Eve was involved in a backstage segment with Daniel Bryan and Alberto Del Rio. Nothing notable here.

Damien Sandow was shown walking down the hallway while piano music played in the background. He debuts next. [EDIT: Maybe not.]

Derrick Bateman got a jobber entrance.

Sandow entered to Leonard Cohen's classical music piece "Hallelujah." Funny stuff. He responded to a "WHAT?" crowd chant with "Thank you for your irrelevant contribution." He said he wouldn't indulge the WWE Universe or Bateman (whom he called a "miscreant") with a match. Sandow left. "You're welcome." Bateman demanded an opponent nonetheless. He got one...it was Ryback.

4. Ryback defeated Derrick Bateman in a total squash.

5. Randy Orton and Big Show defeated Kane and U.S. Champion Cody Rhodes.

Backstage, Matt Striker caught up with Sheamus, who sported a heavily-taped shoulder and said he "came here to fight." Striker concluded that it looks like they'll have their match after all.

Vickie Guerrero re-emerged with Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler. Swagger demanded a rematch from Clay, saying nobody could beat him twice in one night. Looks like they're re-taping this one.

6. Brodus Clay defeated Jack Swagger via countout. Much shorter match than the first. Ziggler's bump in this match was less impactful, taking a forearm from big Brodus. No kids into the ring to dance post-match this time. Expect a lot of post-production if this version of the match is used. The crowd was understandably bored seeing this the second time around.

Natalya came out for the jobber entrance.

7. WWE Divas Champion Layla defeated Natalya. Layla won in less than a couple of minutes.

Backstage, Eve directed the publicity photo shoot for Antonio Cesaro and Aksana and said something was missing. She said Cesaro looked too "dry" and asked for him to be oiled up. She told a staffer lady not to do it, instead demanding that Teddy apply the oil. He resisted at first, but after being told by Eve that he hadn't done anything all day, he gave in and rubbed down Cesaro. I'm disappointed I didn't get to see the former Claudio Castagnoli in action.

After the break, Kaitlyn told AJ she needed to stop having a pity party for herself. AJ delivered a hard slap to Kaitlyn that floored her.

Ricardo Rodriguez introduced Alberto Del Rio from the stage; ADR drove out in a fancy car. He is sitting in on commentary for the main event.

8. Sheamus defeated Daniel Bryan to retain the World Hvt. Championship. Sheamus threw Bryan into ADR, knocking him through the ropes. While Sheamus was distracted by ADR and Rich Rod trying to regain their composure, Bryan snuck up to the top rope. He leapt into a Brogue kick and Sheamus covered him for the victory.

This concluded the Smackdown taping.

Dislike: No Match from the Primetime Players or Antonio Cesaro

Yeah, this puzzles me a little bit.

Darren Young and Titus O'Neil were just moved to SmackDown a couple of weeks ago, yet they didn't appear whatsoever at Tuesday's Smackdown tapings.

Meanwhile, Antonio Cesaro was involved in some sort of backstage oiling segment rather than an actual match.

I can understand Cesaro's appearance a little more because the creative team is clearly trying to build him up as a heel, but a no-show for the Primetime Players?

That's not a good sign for those guys.

I think it's imperative that you get newly acquired superstars in front of the live crowd as much as possible, and the WWE fails to do that wither Cesaro and Young/O'Neil this week.

Like: Having the Tag Team Champs on Smackdown

The WWE has two titles that can be defended on both brands without explanation (even though that isn't the case): the WWE Tag Team and Divas Championships.

At least in my view, that means that whoever is holding the Divas or tag team titles should appear on both brands as much as possible.

I''m sure you've figured out where I'm going with this by now, so let me just say it: Kofi Kingston and R-Truth should be on Raw and SmackDown every week.

Now, I have no idea if this was the start of a trend or not, both the new WWE Tag Team Champions will indeed appear on tomorrow night's SmackDown show.

And you know what? I like it.

Holding the tag team titles means that you can improve the tag team division on both Raw and Smackdown, and hopefully, that's exactly what Kingston and Truth will do.

Dislike: Multiple Squash Matches

Stop me if you've heard this before: We're going to get another squash match from Ryback this week.

On tomorrow's SmackDown, he'll destroy Derrick Bateman, which I guess is the WWE's way of giving him this Goldberg-like undefeated streak, although I think it's more like a case of creative not knowing who they want him to feud with.

Ryback isn't the only up-and-comer who destroys a fellow WWE star on tomorrow's SmackDown, though.

Brodus Clay will continue to dismantle Vickie Guerrero's stable, this time by beating Jack Swagger via DQ.

Although this may not technically be a squash, it is essentially one because it results in Clay looking like a monster and both Swagger and Dolph Ziggler once again looking weak.

I guess things could be worse, though. We could have been in the crowd at this show and actually had to see Clay destroy Swagger twice.

Or we could have been Natalya, who is the WWE's most talented active Diva, but was quickly defeated by Layla.

Hey, creative team. How about giving Ryback, Natalya and Clay some actual feuds?

Like: The Debut of Damien Sandow

After four weeks of hype, Damien Sandow is finally here.

Sandow makes his debut on tomorrow night's SmackDown, and we will now get to judge this guy based on something other than a vignette.

Judging from what I read on the spoilers, I like what the WWE did with him in first appearance in front of the live crowd.

In true heel fashion, Sandow refused to work a match because it would "indulge" the crowd. We've seen heels refuse to wrestle before, obviously, but this is a new twist on that.

Perhaps Sandow's refusals to wrestle will be an easy way to transition into his first feud with a baby face that demands that he wrestle. Who knows?

No matter what, I'm excited about Sandow and his future prospects as a major player on the SmackDown brand.

Dislike: The Continuation of Rhodes/Show and Orton/Kane

I would have been OK (although not thrilled) with one of these two feuds (preferably Big Show vs. Cody Rhodes) continuing.

But both of them? Really? Ugh.

Neither of these feuds have been particularly good. The Kane/Orton one has been downright atrocious, and the rivalry between Show and Rhodes has done a great job...of burying Rhodes.

I'm not sure if these rivalries are going to continue all the way through Over the Limit—gosh, I hope not—but I think the fact that they didn't end at Extreme Rules indicates that creative doesn't want to start new feuds with just three weeks of build.

Even if that is the case, I can't stand Orton/Kane or Show/Rhodes. 

They both need to end. Now. Period.

Like: Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan

I haven't been all that crazy about the rivalry between Sheamus and Daniel Bryan, either, but unlike Kane/Orton and Show/Rhodes, we've actually gotten a phenomenal match out of Bryan and Sheamus.

Those two delivered the goods with a fantastic 2/3 Falls match at Extreme Rules, so I definitely won't mind seeing them face each other again on this week's Smackdown.

The no contest at the beginning of the show, I could do without. But Bryan vs. Sheamus at Extreme Rules was the best World Heavyweight title match since that awesome series of Orton/Christian matches that concluded at SummerSlam in 2011.

Assuming these two get enough time on this week's SmackDown, they should put on another great match that steals the show on Friday.

Can't complain about that.

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