WWE SmackDown: Spoiler-Free Preview for May 28

On the last WWE SmackDown in May, and the last episode before Elimination Chamber, rivals will get early opportunities to dish out pain.

King Barrett can have one of his fellow Intercontinental Championship contenders limp into the title match. Cesaro and Tyson Kidd can snuff out a pair of babyfaces' momentum. Paige can floor Naomi before they take the stage on Sunday night.

The go-home show features all those stars and more as Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, plays host.

WWE taped all the action on Tuesday. It won't air, though, until Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on Syfy. The following is a spoiler-free look at all the matches on tap.

Cesaro and Tyson Kidd vs. The Lucha Dragons (Lumberjack match)

With the other teams set to enter the Elimination Chamber surrounding them, the former tag team champs take on a team that has been closing in on the belts themselves.

WWE has offered the tag division little in the way of story. It's mostly been a "cram all the teams together," approach as we saw with the 10-on-3 Handicap match on Monday's Raw. 

That strategy is at play again here with a different gimmick match.

Fans know that the lumberjacks around the ring won't stay impartial. That's just how wrestling works. How much of a match will these two squads get to have before things break down?

Is one of them going to head to Elimination Chamber with a momentum-generating victory?

Whatever happens, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan have to wonder how they got left out of this situation altogether. They will be sitting on the sidelines both here and on Sunday while Los Matadores and The Ascension get their cracks at the gold.

R-Truth vs. King Barrett

Is R-Truth just going to be the victim in the Intercontinental Championship Elimination Chamber match, or is he going to do some damage in there?

This match will provide a hint on that front. A loss for R-Truth points to him being everyone's punching bag. A win suggests the possibility of him not being the first guy eliminated.

He's in need of a win after Rusev crushed him on Monday's Raw. Barrett, meanwhile, has been just as unsuccessful in the win column after winning the King of the Ring tournament as he was during WWE's poor booking of his IC title run.

This bout is a chance for WWE to add to the subplots in the IC match on Sunday. Dolph Ziggler has two enemies in the structure waiting for him. Perhaps these two create some extra animosity before they step into the chamber.

Naomi vs. Paige

Nikki Bella has to be happy that this match is set for SmackDown. She will face both women in a Triple Threat for the Divas Championship at Elimination Chamber. A hard-hitting bout leaves her foes weakened.

Intensity has grown with this feud as of late. On last week's SmackDown, Naomi and Paige brawled in the ring, with Nikki charging into the fray eventually as well.

Can WWE turn up the volume on this rivalry with this one-on-one contest? It's the last chance to create hype for the Divas title match. It's also a chance for Paige to bounce back.

She lost to Naomi's muscle, Tamina Snuka, on Monday night. To follow that with a win, she'll have to not only best Naomi, but avoid any cheap shots that Tamina sends her way.

Ryback vs. Rusev

Powerhouse collides with powerhouse. This was once a feud that looked to be on its way to becoming a major story. Rusev, though, veered off and went to take on John Cena for several months instead.

Now both men prep for a six-man scuffle inside the Elimination Chamber. Ryback and Rusev are both among the favorites to walk out of that structure carrying the Intercontinental Championship.

This bout serves as a preview of sorts for that title clash. 

Credit: WWE.com

Ziggler, the man who Lana now sides with, could be lurking, even just to mock his Bulgarian rival. Ryback, on the other hand, doesn't have any outside distractions to worry about.

He can focus on trying to follow up his win over King Barrett on Monday's Raw with a victory over another one of the men he'll face in the chamber on Sunday.

Kane and Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns

A familiar matchup caps off Thursday's SmackDown. The headliners from the Elimination Chamber main event team up with the X-factors sure to make an impact on that match.

Rollins will get a shot at weakening the man gunning for his title. Ambrose can pile on the momentum with another win. Last week, Ambrose knocked off Bray Wyatt; on this Monday's Raw, he and Reigns defeated this same team from The Authority.

Kane's tenuous relationship with Rollins will be worth watching. The worse it gets, the more likely the Director of Operations splits from The Authority. 

As for Reigns, he is without a match at the event on Sunday. He's so far been asked to play Ambrose's sidekick. The fact that he hangs around the title feud again here suggests that he's going to somehow figure into the battle at Elimination Chamber.

SmackDown makes sure that rivals cross paths before that show. WWE will be hoping that Thursday's action further entices folks to tune in on Sunday.