WWE SmackDown Preview: SPOILER-FREE Preview of This Week's Episode (May 18)

Tomorrow’s night episode of Friday Night SmackDown will be the WWE’s final show before Over the Limit, so naturally, the company is going to be looking to build up some final momentum to try to generate some more buys for Sunday’s pay-per-view. 

Chances are that you’ve probably already seen the spoilers for the show, but if you haven’t, then this is exactly where you want to be. 

I’m here today to provide you with an in-depth, SPOILER-FREE preview of the May 18^th edition of Friday Night SmackDown. 

Let’s take a look: 

In-Ring Promo with CM Punk and John Laurinaitis 

SmackDown opens, perhaps unsurprisingly, with a promo between Punk and Laurinaitis, who seem to have reignited their rivalry from last year as of late. 

Given that Laurinaitis has made life miserable for John Cena and Big Show lately, what might he have in store for the WWE Champion? 

R-Truth and Kofi Kingston vs. Titus O’Neil and Darren Young (Non-Title Match) 

The WWE Tag Team Champions travel over to the blue brand once again, this time to take on the Primetime Players in tag team action. 

O’Neil and Young are undefeated since moving to SmackDown, but they’ll have their hands full with Truth and Kingston. 

Damien Sandow vs. Yoshi Tatsu 

WWE newcomer Sandow refused to wrestle his first WWE match against Derrick Bateman a couple of weeks ago. 

Will he actually step in the ring with Tatsu this time around? 

Big Show Vignette 

He’s not really fired, folks. 

Backstage Segment 

Two of the four competitors in Over the Limit’s Fatal 4-Way for the World Heavyweight Championship make an appearance.

Who might those two be? 

Daniel Bryan vs. Zack Ryder 

Several weeks ago on Raw, Bryan beat Ryder in quick and easy fashion. 

Ryder gets his chance at revenge here, while Bryan looks to gain some steam as we inch closer toward Sunday’s pay-per-view. 

CM Punk vs. Kane (Non-Title Match) 

The Big Red Monster was nowhere to be found on last week’s SmackDown, but this week, he gets the WWE Champion in a non-title match. 

Santino Marella vs. Cody Rhodes 

In this champion versus champion match, the United States Champion Santino Marella comes over from Raw to take on SmackDown’s Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes. 

Neither guy seems to have a feud right now, and they’ve had a little beef going on Twitter this week, so it’ll be interesting to see if this is the start of a rivalry between WWE’s two mid-card titleholders. 

Main Event: Sheamus vs. Randy Orton (Non-Title Match) 

SmackDown’s top two baby faces have reignited their old rivalry over the last couple of weeks, and things have gotten pretty testy between the two. 

Both superstars will be looking to pick up a huge victory just two days before Over the Limit, but only one can walk away a winner.

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.