WWE SmackDown: Spoiler-Free Preview for June 25

Following an edition of Raw where Battleground's match card grew from two to five, WWE SmackDown is the company's latest chance to create momentum for those bouts and the gladiators involved.

Before his Intercontinental Championship match at the pay-per-view, Ryback has to face another immense foe. The New Day looks to rediscover what victory tastes like as it preps for its own title match. The WWE champ is in action as well, taking on an enemy he just can't shake.

The Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio, hosted those clashes when WWE taped SmackDown on Tuesday night.

Fans who have sought out spoilers for the show already know how everything unfolds. For the portion of the audience that wants to wait until SmackDown airs on Syfy this Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, the following is a results-free preview of the show.

Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler

After locking horns in the fight for the Money in the Bank contract a few weeks ago, Ziggler and Sheamus meet again here.

Ziggler can't make up for losing to Sheamus that night, but he can better his win-loss record and make a big statement against The Celtic Warrior. Mostly, The Showoff has been involved in a storyline centered around his flirtations with Lana and the resulting rage that causes Rusev.

Fans will looking out for The Bulgarian Brute to either be watching this bout from backstage or to get involved at some point.

If Sheamus and Ziggler get a decent amount of time to work with, expect sparks to fly. These two have had excellent chemistry in the past. 

Naomi vs. Alicia Fox

Joining The Bella Twins has been good a career move for Fox. As an ally of Nikki and Brie Bella, she's gone from rarely used to a more consistent part of WWE programming.

That continues here with a showdown against Naomi.

Both Naomi and Tamina Snuka have been tangling with the Bella sisters as of late with a heel-against-heel dynamic. This match likely serves as a clue for what WWE has in mind for that story. Do Naomi and Tamina eventually pair with Paige to combat the Bellas, or does this evolve into a three-way battle of some sort?

While most of the company's champions know which Superstars they will be facing at Battleground, Nikki's title bout is up in the air. What happens out of the ring in this matchup could begin to clear that up.

Kane vs. Ryback

Ryback finds himself opposite another big man fresh off toppling Mark Henry on Monday's Raw.

This time, he takes on The Director of Operations, a man he owns several victories over. Avoiding chokeslams and right hands will be good practice for when he has to face Big Show.

It's not clear what WWE has in mind for Kane. He has been mixing it up with Dean Ambrose a lot lately. If we see The Lunatic Fringe on commentary or coming down to ringside, it will be a sure sign that a Ambrose vs. Kane rivalry is going to eventually happen.

Otherwise, Kane may just be serving as a stepping stone for Ryback here and a lackey for Seth Rollins later. 

The Prime Time Players and The Lucha Dragons vs. The New Day and Bo Dallas

New alliances form to continue the feud over the tag team titles. Titus O'Neil and Darren Young get some help from The Lucha Dragons, moving away from their partnership with Neville, at least for the time being. 

WWE hasn't been particularly creative with this rivalry between teams. There's an opportunity here to advance this story, but it could just be a case of cramming champion and challenger into a clash involving a few new faces.

So far, The Prime Time Players have had little trouble with The New Day. In singles, tag team or six-man action, Young and O'Neil have had their rivals reeling. Does that trend continue here, or do Xavier Woods and Co. find a way to create some doubt about the champs retaining at Battleground?

Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose

The ongoing rivalry isn't quite over. That's good news for fans, as Rollins and Ambrose have produced a long list of stellar matches against each other.

Will this match get a chance to breathe, though? The Authority is again working for Rollins, meaning that a cheap finish or interference aplenty ending the action is a strong possibility.

No one will expect Brock Lesnar to play a part in this matchup, as the No. 1 contender has kept his TV appearances limited to Raw. But while there's not going to be any increased animosity between him and Rollins by the end of the night, SmackDown's main event may offer a hint to what Ambrose has ahead.

A win suggests that he's not yet out of the title hunt and that he will be hanging around the periphery of the Lesnar-Rollins story. More collisions with Kane point to the big man being his opponent at Battleground.

The chance for great action overall is high. Thursday's SmackDown has a number of potential-laden matchups, including Rollins vs. Ambrose and Ziggler vs. Sheamus.

Monday's Raw focused more on story and trash-talking; SmackDown in Ohio looks to be more satisfying from an in-ring standpoint.