WWE SmackDown: Spoiler-Free Preview for September 24

It won't just be the warriors in the ring in search for momentum on Sept. 24, as WWE SmackDown follows up an underwhelming edition of Raw.

WWE has to be hoping to find the right recipe to get SmackDown's ratings going in an upward direction. Recently, the show has seen its numbers slide. ProWrestling.net noted that last week's SmackDown earned just a 1.49 rating, down from the already-low 1.54 from the week before.

To combat that, WWE has Seth Rollins set to face off against his least-favorite lunatic. The tag champs and the new intercontinental titleholder are also booked for action. 

Corpus Christi, Texas, hosted all those champions on Tuesday night.

Before SmackDown airs on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on Syfy, fans can either take an early peek (courtesy of Wrestling Inc) at the results or read on for a spoiler-free look at the matches set for the show.

Roman Reigns vs. Luke Harper

The Wyatt Family has dominated Reigns and Ambrose recently. Even with Chris Jericho on their squad, the babyfaces failed to topple Bray Wyatt and his crew at Night of Champions. 

The two warring stables then brawled to kick off Monday's Raw.

Will things get as chaotic as that this time around? Will Reigns be able to bounce back, or will Harper add to his and Ambrose's woes?

Regardless of the result, fans can expect some quality wrestling here. Harper and Reigns have produced strong work against each other in the past. 

Neville and The Lucha Dragons vs. The New Day

It looks as if fans won't be treated to any of Xavier Woods' trombone stylings on Thursday night. He'll be busy mixing it up alongside his teammates this time.

With The New Day surely on another collision course with The Dudley Boyz, this bout could act as a warm-up for the trio. Getting a decisive win against these high-flyers would boost them en route to that expected rematch.

As for Neville, Kalisto and Sin Cara, they can force their way into the tag title picture with a non-title win here.

Credit: WWE.com

Either way, it's great to see WWE keep these three together after Night of Champions. The tag division has morphed into a showcase of trios, and Neville and The Lucha Dragons make an energetic, fun addition to that trend.

Bo Dallas vs. Cesaro

Cesaro takes a break from getting punched in the mouth by a giant. Does he also take a break from losing, though?

The King of Swing has been hurt by lack of direction and WWE simply not committing to pushing him at all. A loss to Dallas would potentially point to a storyline developing about Cesaro's in-ring struggles.

Falling to the motivational speaker at the bottom of the card would be a new low for him.

Win or lose, though, the question on the audience's mind will be: Where is WWE going with Cesaro right now? He has no clear rival. He has no storyline of his own.

WWE could be planning on turning this battle into a feud, which would be mighty disappointing, or else Cesaro crosses paths with his next rival at some point on SmackDown.

Dolph Ziggler and Ryback vs. Kevin Owens and Rusev

A pair of midcard feuds converge into a tag team match with plenty of promise.

From a talent standpoint, this bout looks excellent. Ziggler and Rusev just came off a strong contest at Night of Champions. Ryback and Owens put on one of the pay-per-view's best bouts that night. Mixing those rivals together is sure to be fun.

The Ziggler-Rusev rivalry, though, has been hampered by melodrama, focusing on flirtations, jealousy and cheating. Most recently, WWE added shoe-throwing into the formula.

Does the silliness of that narrative overshadow the action here? Does Summer Rae get as much camera time as Ziggler? 

Fans have to hope that the wrestlers get a chance to wrestle without diving into silly fare, but that's far from guaranteed to happen.

Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose

The WWE champ is in desperate need of some better booking. He is coming off two consecutive losses to John Cena, adding to his growing total of defeats while holding the world title.

WWE wouldn't possibly have Rollins lose three times in a row, would they?

That's what fans will be wondering as The Architect steps into the ring with a familiar foe. Whatever the result is, there's a strong chance it doesn't just involve these two grapplers. 

Rollins ended Night of Champions on the wrong end of a chokeslam courtesy of Kane. He ended Monday's Raw trying to slip out of Kane's grasp as the masked man dragged him under the ring.

Does Kane go Rollins-hunting once more or will Ambrose's issues with The Wyatt Family be what interrupts this clash?

Either way, this match has less appeal than it should. In addition to the expectation of some kind of run-in derailing the bout, WWE has gone to the Ambrose-Rollins well quite a bit. This is far from a fresh matchup at this point.

Thursday's SmackDown promises some solid (but likely not spectacular) action, but nothing that looks like it will aid in bumping up the show's recent lagging ratings.