WWE SmackDown: Potential Spoilers, Rumors, News and Preview for July 26

After a stellar edition of Monday Night Raw, WWE SmackDown will step up to the plate on Tuesday, intent on hitting its own share of home runs.

The return to the brand split began in explosive fashion on Monday night. Sasha Banks and Charlotte put on a pay-per-view-quality match. Finn Balor's debut saw him skyrocket into contention. Raw announced a new prize for its roster to fight over: the WWE Universal Championship.

It's now SmackDown's turn to emphatically kick off the New Era.

The unhinged, fearless Dean Ambrose will lead the way for the blue brand with the WWE Championship in hand. John Cena, Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt will do their best to create buzz around the show. And thanks to the slew of NXT talent SmackDown drafted, fresh faces promise to make an impact on Tuesday night.

The First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York, will host the live edition of SmackDown, which will air on the USA Network at 8 p.m. ET. Backstage reports, social media and the SmackDown preview on WWE.com provide a glimpse at what's to come.

News, Potential Spoilers

The Vaudevillains will eventually play a key role in the SmackDown tag team division, but likely not just yet.

The group's mustached bruiser won't be on the show. PWInsider's Mike Johnson reported, "WWE sources indicate that Simon Gotch is not scheduled for this week's set of TV tapings but is slated to return to the road next week for the company." As Johnson noted, this follows a backstage fight between Gotch and Sin Cara.

Gotch did appear in the closing moments of Battleground as the SmackDown roster celebrated with Ambrose after his title win. That's no indication, though, whether WWE plans to have him actually compete on TV on Tuesday.

Credit: WWE.com

SmackDown isn't deep enough in the tag team department to keep Gotch in the doghouse for long. Expect Gotch and Aiden English to be back in the mix soon.

The brand split has led to WWE shifting its non-wrestlers around. But after the draft, it wasn't clear what WWE had in mind for interviewer Renee Young. 

She made it clear on Twitter that she is SmackDown-bound:

"

I'll see you guys on Tuesdays!! https://t.co/zdLtNtu87c

— Renee Young (@ReneeYoungWWE) July 25, 2016"

Eventually, SmackDown will also be home to two faces from the past. 

Johnson reported for PWInsider that former WWE wrestlers Rhyno and Curt Hawkins are set to return to the company: "The tentative plan is for the pair to be on the SmackDown brand." 

Rhyno has been competing for NXT of late. Zack Ryder's former tag team partner Hawkins last wrestled for WWE in 2014. Bringing them back to SmackDown will provide the brand with some needed depth.

SmackDown Streaks

AJ Styles has enjoyed a good deal of success on Tuesday nights. SmackDown's second pick in the draft has won eight straight singles bouts on the show that he will now call home.

His last loss on the blue brand came way back in mid-March.

Given how high he went in the draft and the fact that he has been pitted against major names from Chris Jericho to Cena, it's clear WWE is sold on The Phenomenal One. Bet on Styles being one of SmackDown's centerpieces. 

Before the draft, The Ascension was a WWE bottom feeder.

Konnor and Viktor haven't won on SmackDown since September 2015. They are on a nine-match losing streak on the show. 

Fans should keep an eye on the duo, however, as SmackDown begins anew. In a changed environment with fewer teams to showcase, WWE may look to book The Ascension as more formidable opponents.

Keeping Pace with Raw

SmackDown's bosses will surely stand in the spotlight on Tuesday night.

WWE has been playing up a sense of competition between its two shows. And with Raw hitting on all cylinders in its first entry following the return of the brand split, SmackDown is sure to deliver some surprises to keep pace.

The WWE.com SmackDown preview stated, "Commissioner Shane McMahon and his general manager Daniel Bryan will now hit the ground running with the help of an explosive locker room."

Raw added the WWE Universal Championship to make up for not having the WWE Championship. Will SmackDown look to do the same thing with the women's division?

If not, WWE will have to be more creative in finding ways to add stakes to its matches.

Becky Lynch and Natalya's feud promises to be key to SmackDown, with or without a title to fight for. The two rivals collided at Battleground, where Natalya outmatched her babyface foe.

On Twitter, Lynch teased another showdown between the two:

And where Raw thrilled fans by introducing former NXT champ Balor, SmackDown has a number of newcomers of its own to push. American Alpha (Jason Jordan and Chad Gable) will make for an electric addition to the show. Mojo Rawley and Alexa Bliss will both be joining the blue brand, too.

SmackDown also drafted Carmella, an up-and-comer who will help make the women's division an intriguing one.

The SmackDown preview hinted at her making her mark on Tuesday. It read, "The Staten Island Princess looks to cement herself in the upper echelon of SmackDown Live in a hurry and probably won't mind taking out that likes of Becky Lynch and Natalya to do it."

And looking ahead to SummerSlam, Seth Rollins and Balor are set to battle for Raw's top title. Ambrose's challenger will surely emerge soon.

After making it past Rollins and Roman Reigns at Battleground, The Lunatic Fringe no longer has to worry about those rivals. Both men are on the Raw roster.

The race to be named the No. 1 contender to Ambrose's title will be a prominent part of SmackDown. WWE.com's SmackDown preview predicted, "Whoever decides to step into the limelight, look for a possible huge WWE Title match to be in the works for 'The Biggest Event of the Summer.'"

High stakes bolstered Raw. The smart move is to use that same element to make Tuesday a memorable night. 

The bar is set high for SmackDown. Watching Ambrose, Lynch and the rest of the roster look to outdo Raw will be awfully fun.

Win-loss statistics courtesy of CageMatch.net.