WWE SmackDown: Spoiler-Free Preview for April 23

As Extreme Rules approaches, the April 23 edition of WWE SmackDown sees two-thirds of The Shield join forces again.

Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose partner up as both men search for victory before their violent bouts at the pay-per-view. Reigns hopes to head into his Last Man Standing match against Big Show with added confidence. Ambrose gears up for his Chicago Street Fight by taking on two men he dislikes plenty. 

The Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island, hosts the go-home show. Seth Rollins, Sheamus and Rusev are among those in action.

WWE taped all the bouts on Tuesday night. For those who seek to avoid spoilers until SmackDown airs on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on SyFy, the following results-free preview is for you.

Kane vs. Seth Rollins

The dissension within The Authority continues. 

Kane's disdain for the WWE champ is clear. Rollins has given him every reason to feel that way. They are supposed to be on the same page heading into the pay-per-view, though.

While Rollins battles Randy Orton in a Steel Cage match that night, Kane will serve as the gatekeeper. He controls the cage door. Rollins is going to want to have The Director of Operations on his side. 

That will be tough to accomplish after they collide here. 

Dolph Ziggler and Neville vs. Bad News Barrett and Sheamus

With Daniel Bryan out of action and his title match uncertain to happen, his challenger seeks out another dynamo to pound into the mat. Barrett teams up with a former rival in Sheamus to make a formidable duo of foreign bruisers.

Sheamus and Ziggler are set for a Kiss Me Arse match on Sunday.

Expect them to come at each other hard as WWE tries to amplify the anger these two have for each other. The Celtic Warrior distracted Ziggler on Monday's Raw, leading up to him losing to Rollins.

The Showoff can get a measure of revenge here with the help of the exciting newcomer from NXT. 

One thing to look out for is whether WWE is going to have Barrett and Neville feud while Bryan heals. A brawl between or a Brit-on-Brit chair shot hints at them going at it at Extreme Rules in place of Bryan vs. Barrett. 

Naomi vs. Natalya

Naomi's assault on Paige paid off. She's now officially set to face Nikki Bella for the Divas Championship.

Before that bout, she takes on the Divas division's best technical wrestler. A win for Naomi here has her charging into Extreme Rules with extra momentum. A loss is likely to set her off. 

The former Funkadactyl has had a mighty short fuse as of late.

Credit: WWE.com

Will Nikki be involved here at all? The interactions between champ and challenger have been minimal. WWE has this one last opportunity to create some drama between these wrestlers before Sunday's pay-per-view.

Rusev vs. Ryback

WWE teased a collision between these powerhouses months ago. That feud never truly got started, and Rusev instead went after John Cena, who he is still entangled with now.

Ryback's job here is to provide a tough test for The Bulgarian Brute before Extreme Rules.

The company has looked to make The Big Guy strong as of late. Ryback owns dominant wins over Curtis Axel, Luke Harper and The Miz in recent weeks. Can he possibly keep that roll going against a monster like Rusev?

He could have some help from Cena. The champ could be looking for revenge after Rusev squeezed a chain across his maw on Monday night.

Cesaro vs. Kofi Kingston

In preparation for The New Day's tag title match against Cesaro and Tyson Kidd, one half of each squad does battle here. 

It's still unclear just who WWE wants the audience to root for in this feud. The New Day have taken to delivering cheap shots and taking short cuts in the ring. If they are the heels, what does it make the champs?

Perhaps the company is just going to roll with Cesaro and Kidd's popularity and slide them toward babyface status.

There has been little animosity between these teams. Here is WWE's chance to change that.

As for the in-ring action, it promises to be good. Kingston and Cesaro put on a number of high-quality matches when they were fighting over the United States Championship in 2013.

Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns vs. Luke Harper and Seth Rollins

Ambrose and Harper give fans an early look at what to expect between them at Extreme Rules. They will no doubt be looking to weaken each other here.

They will, though, be limited by rules that won't apply on Sunday and the fact that two other men are involved here.

Reigns wants to add one more win before facing Big Show. Rollins looks to prep for his WWE title match with Orton.

Someone is going to fail to gain any momentum, however. And one of these teams has to worry about Orton lurking. He handed out a flurry of RKOs on Monday night and may not be done.

Rollins is going to have to be alert; a predator is eyeing him.