WWE SmackDown: Spoiler-Free Preview for July 9

The July 9 edition of WWE SmackDown promises to be a showcase of powerhouses.

Ryback, Rusev, Titus O'Neil and Big Show all step into the ring with men who are far from strangers to them. Expect to see far more brute force than technical skill with these bruisers all in action.

The build to Battleground continues after a Raw that saw Rusev return to kicking folks in the jaw. That show's most memorable image was Brock Lesnar leaving a Cadillac looking like a chewed-up piece of meat. Thursday's SmackDown is going to have depend on other beasts to provide their own displays of destructive power.

And while there may not be any vehicular violence on tap, the SmackDown lineup boasts plenty of hard hitters.

The BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee already hosted Ryback and company on Tuesday night.

Before the show airs on Syfy on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, spoilers await the impatient on the Internet. For those looking to avoid those, the following is a results-free preview of all the matches lined up for SmackDown.

Dean Ambrose vs. Bo Dallas

In a rematch from Monday's Raw, Dallas gets a second crack at upsetting The Lunatic Fringe. Last time out, Dallas put up a decent fight, but Ambrose won handily.

This would usually be a stepping stone kind of match for Ambrose, but it's not clear what he would be stepping to at this point.

WWE has no bout set up for him at Battleground. Now that his feud with Seth Rollins has wrapped up, Ambrose is without a clear rival.

Fans have to hope that the plan isn't for him to start feuding with Dallas. Should this contest get out of hand or there be any action after the bell, that will be a sign that WWE is indeed heading in that direction with Ambrose.

That's most certainly several steps down from battling Rollins for the WWE title.

Fandango vs. Rusev

The Bulgarian Brute will be a heavy favorite in his first match back from injury.

On Monday's Raw, Rusev ambushed Dolph Ziggler, revealing that he's healthy enough to compete once again in the process. Rusev left The Showoff suffering from a storyline neck injury. While his foe heals, he now looks for new prey.

That comes in the form of the seldom used Fandango.

Fandango has been sitting on the bottom of the WWE ladder for a good while now. The ballroom dancer's last win on SmackDown came back in April against Adam Rose. Rusev, of course, is a much bigger test—a man who just left Ziggler in need of a stretcher.

Rusev could make Fandango suffer the same fate on Thursday night.

Big Show vs. Roman Reigns

Just when fans thought they were done seeing Reigns tangle with Big Show, WWE books another bout between them.

Reigns has to try and vanquish the giant again as he looks for momentum ahead of his clash with Bray Wyatt at Battleground. The story as of late has been that Wyatt's mind games have left Reigns unfocused, distracted and, as a result, vulnerable.

Does Wyatt pull more hocus pocus here or does Reigns zero in on his foe and get a win against the big man?

The World's Largest Athlete is in need of a victory as well. He's looking to charge into his Intercontinental Championship match at the upcoming pay-per-view. Knocking off the highly positioned Reigns would help him do just that.

The Miz could be lurking, though. The smallest competitor in the IC title Triple Threat match could be looking to land some cheap shots here or at least cost his mammoth foe a chance at a win.

Titus O'Neil vs. Big E

The New Day vs. The Prime Time Players feud has seen the two teams collide in various types of matches, but there's been little in the way of personal issues added to the narrative. There's not much of a story overall actually.

That could change on Thursday night if the heel trio attacks the tag team champs.

O'Neil and Young have found victory to be no difficult task against Big E and company. In Milwaukee, they'll look to add to their win total in singles action.

These two powerhouses had a brief, little-hyped feud last year. During that time, they put on a few entertaining slugfests, showing good chemistry together. This promises to be another quality outing if allowed to go on for a decent amount of time.

Alicia Fox and Brie Bella vs. Naomi and Tamina Snuka

The Bella collective has cheated its way to dominance as of late. Interference, outnumbering foes and the Bella sisters' trademark "twin magic" have let Brie, Nikki and Alicia taste victory again and again.

Naomi and Tamina will look to change that pattern.

That duo has refused to work alongside Paige, who has looked to form a group to combat the Bellas' reign. How Paige figures into this matchup and if the announcers tease a change in heart from Naomi and Tamina will be one of the key things to look out for here.

With no Divas title match set for Battleground, fans will also be curious to see if WWE offers any clues as to what women's bout may be added to the event.

Seth Rollins vs. Ryback

Champion battles champion in the main event.

Rollins has to worry about Brock Lesnar tearing him apart in the near future, but at least for Thursday's SmackDown, he has an opportunity to play the hunter. Rollins has defeated Ryback before, and even though he's outweighed in this matchup, he comes in as the favorite.

Credit: WWE.com

In terms of kayfabe, this is Ryback's chance to roll into his title defense at Battleground with plenty of momentum. Beyond that, this is one of the higher-profile contests he's been a part of lately.

It's a chance to show WWE officials that he can hang with a top star, flourish in the spotlight and give a main event-level performance. Rollins is the type of performer who makes his opponents look mighty good. Unless there is a flood of outside interference, this is poised to be one of the week's better matches.