WWE SmackDown: Spoiler-Free Preview for February 26

Following Fastlane, there is still plenty of animosity to go around on the Feb. 26 edition of WWE SmackDown.

Dolph Ziggler leads the way against The Authority again. Dean Ambrose marches forward without the Intercontinental Championship, certain to still be heated about letting his shot at that title slip away. Natalya and Naomi will both have their claws out.

The Philips Arena in Atlanta hosted all that action on Tuesday night. Until the taped show airs on Syfy on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, many fans will be plugging their ears in the hopes of avoiding spoilers.

For that portion of the audience, the following is a look at all the action lined up for Thursday's SmackDown with the results omitted.

The Miz vs. Dean Ambrose

The Miz hasn't had much luck on SmackDown.

Last week, Daniel Bryan cranked his neck backward, forcing him to tap out. On the Feb. 5 edition of the show, Roman Reigns steamrolled him.

He now faces a lunatic sure to be fired up. Ambrose couldn't control himself during his title match against Bad News Barrett at Fastlane. He was so focused on peppering the champ with right hands that he ignored the referee's warnings and was disqualified.

Can he avoid losing his temper as he goes up against the roster's most grating personality?

The key subplot to watch is The Miz's interactions with Damien Mizdow. This alliance is splintering, but how fast will it fall apart? That's something to keep an eye on during SmackDown and beyond.

Natalya vs. Naomi

The feud between The Usos and Cesaro and Tyson Kidd has expanded to include the wives who stand in each team's corner. Natalya has shown an increasingly nasty side as she and Naomi have begun to fight.

On Monday's Raw, The Usos had an opportunity to reclaim their tag team titles. Natalya made sure that Jimmy and Jey didn't become three-time champions. She pulled Jimmy off the top rope, inspiring Naomi to come charging at her.

The Divas now get a chance to get out some of that aggression while Naomi can earn a bit of revenge for her husband.

It remains to be seen if WWE is going ahead with a separate rivalry between Naomi and Natalya or if they will just be extensions of what's happening between the tag champs and their top contenders.

Daniel Bryan vs. Bad News Barrett

Barrett is going to have a tough time ending his current slide. After suffering non-title losses to Ziggler, Ambrose and R-Truth, the Englishman now has to face one of the company's top stars.

These two have collided before with quality results.

Beyond the action that these men produce, fans will be curious about which direction both Bryan and Barrett are headed in. Barrett is looking more and more like he'll have to defend the Intercontinental Championship in a crowded, multiman match.

R-Truth, Ziggler and Ambrose all have a claim to a title shot. With WrestleMania space so limited, it makes sense that WWE would just cram all those guys into a Fatal 4-Way match.

What of Bryan, though? After losing to Reigns at Fastlane, he has no obvious path to WrestleMania.

This bout may offer a clue of what the company has in mind for him or else make it clear that it is still scrambling to find him a spot.

Curtis Axel vs. Fandango

When prey takes on prey, someone has to become the predator. Fans have grown used to seeing both Axel and Fandango lose often. One of them will get a rare win in what looks like little more than filler on paper.

Axel has been unsuccessfully trying to get the Axelmania movement going. He still claims to be the rightful winner of the Royal Rumble.

Credit: WWE.com

Fandango has to be jealous of even that thin narrative. WWE has done little with him since his gimmick tweak. The "new and improved" Fandango has been a lot like the old one.

A win here wouldn't mean much other than perhaps giving him the right to claim that he should be in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Adam Rose vs. Goldust

Goldust's brother lost his first match after Fastlane. Stardust suffered a wrenched ankle courtesy of Jack Swagger. A distraction from Goldust put him in that spot.

Does Stardust return the favor here? Will he be looking to cost Goldust a win against a man who has yet to experience victory in 2015?

Rose will be looking for a major upset and some momentum. He has been a non-factor as of late. He is desperate for a rivalry and his ongoing online spat with Zack Ryder doesn't count. 

Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan and Ryback vs. Seth Rollins, Kane and Big Show

A rematch from Fastlane gives Ziggler and company a chance at redemption. At the pay-per-view, the babyfaces fell to The Authority in a solid match.

That night, Randy Orton made an emphatic return by preventing Rollins and his thugs from throttling these former members of Team Cena. Does The Viper play a role here again now that he's playing nice with The Authority?

The other big question concerns WWE's WrestleMania plans for these men.

The expectation is that Rollins will eventually start clashing with Orton, leading to them meeting at the marquee event. What of Rowan, Ryback and the others? This bout could act as a way to wrap up this story or else show fans that they are going to get a steady diet of the same thing for the next few weeks.

WrestleMania has begun in earnest. It's time to start piecing together the card and finding dance partners for Ziggler, Bryan, Ambrose and others.