WWE SmackDown Spoilers: Complete Results and Analysis for April 23

The penultimate stop on the road to Extreme Rules rolled through Providence, Rhode Island, Tuesday night as WWE taped the April 23 episode of SmackDown.

On the heels of Raw, where he found out that estranged Authority mate Kane would serve as the gatekeeper of his WWE World Heavyweight Championship defense against Randy Orton Sunday night, Seth Rollins again found himself at odds with the Director of Operations. He was then placed in a tag team main event against the two men he once considered brothers, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns.

With Luke Harper by his side, the former Architect of The Shield would look to maintain his momentum heading into his huge championship clash with The Viper.

Did he succeed? Was Rollins able to pick up a signature win over his former stablemates, or did the Lunatic Fringe and the juggernaut thwart his attempt to pick up his second televised win of the week?

Find out now, along with the rest of the spoilers for this Thursday's broadcast, courtesy of Raj Giri over at WrestlingInc.com.

Venue

Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island

Broadcast Team

Michael Cole, Byron Saxton and Jerry "The King" Lawler

Results

• Seth Rollins kicked off the show, flanked by Kane and J&J Security. He made fun of Kane, who suggested that the WWE world heavyweight champion lay down for him to return the favor the Director of Operations did for him.
• Kane vs. Seth Rollins ended in a non-contest when Kane revealed that he was kidding, instead booking Rollins against former rival Dean Ambrose. Luke Harper attacked Ambrose and then was joined by Rollins, leaving Roman Reigns to make the save. A tag team match was booked for the night's main event.
• Neville and Dolph Ziggler defeated Sheamus and Bad News Barrett when Neville pinned Barrett. 
• Naomi defeated Natalya.
• Ryback defeated Rusev by disqualification when the Bulgarian Brute used a Russian chain. Rusev applied The Accolade with the assistance of the chain.
• Kofi Kingston defeated Cesaro in a match riddled with outside interference from The New Day and Tyson Kidd.
• Reigns and Ambrose defeated Rollins and Luke Harper when Reigns pinned Rollins following the spear. The main event was said to be a very good match.

Analysis

The Main Event

Reigns needed to regain some momentum heading into his Last Man Standing match against Big Show at Extreme Rules, and he got it in the form of a pinfall victory over the man who cost him the opportunity to leave WrestleMania as the WWE world heavyweight champion, Seth Rollins.

It is a strong booking decision because, now, WWE Creative can revisit that win as it attempts to re-position Reigns as the top contender to the most coveted prize in the sport. Coming out of Extreme Rules, he can claim to have a pinfall victory over the champion and, thus, is most deserving of a title opportunity.

As for Ambrose and Harper, it is good to see their underrated rivalry receive more exposure on WWE programming, especially after what was very solid booking on Raw.

The continued bickering between Rollins and Kane earlier in the show, which helped to set up the main event, is a more spectacular build to an intriguing element surrounding Sunday's main event, not to mention a solid chapter in the Corporate Demon's resurgence.

Credit: WWE.com

Intercontinental Championship Intrigue

With Daniel Bryan's health still a mystery, it appears as though WWE may have planted the seeds for a potential replacement for the current intercontinental champion when it booked Neville to team with Ziggler in a huge tag team match against Sheamus and Bad News Barrett Tuesday night. 

If that is the case, it would be a major indicator of the company's faith and trust in the young Brit, despite his limited exposure on the main roster. If competing against former heavyweight champions, such as Sheamus and Ziggler, was not enough, potentially being catapulted into a championship scenario due to injuries suffered by Bryan would be a major pat on the back for his early success.

Of course, it is all speculation at this point as no decision has been rendered in regard to Bryan's status for his Extreme Rules title defense, at least according to WWE.com.

The fact that Neville was placed in the tag match, with the talent involved, suggests that WWE Creative could be leaning that way if the leader of the "Yes Movement" is unable to compete.

Either way, hanging with the likes of Ziggler, Barrett and Sheamus is a great way to win the respect of those fans who have not followed his progression from NXT to the main roster.