WWE SmackDown: Potential Spoilers, Rumors, News and Preview for Sept. 27

A rematch from Backlash will headline WWE SmackDown when AJ Styles looks to fend off a furious, focused Dean Ambrose. 

Ambrose has a shot to take back his WWE World Championship just weeks after losing it to The Phenomenal One. A win for The Lunatic Fringe would shift the balance of power ahead of the No Mercy pay-per-view on Oct. 9, when Ambrose and Styles will meet John Cena in a Triple Threat match. 

In addition to the big world title bout, Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena is set to host a SmackDown rife with bad blood.

Dolph Ziggler has to be incensed after getting cheated out of his own title opportunities. Bray Wyatt will want payback after seeing one of his followers fall last week. And Nikki Bella has been on the wrong end of a number of brawls with Carmella.

Can SmackDown outdo Raw in the ratings on the back of Ambrose vs. Styles? Can the blue brand continue to outclass WWE's premier show in terms of storytelling?

Fans will find out beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday when SmackDown airs on the USA Network. Backstage reports, the arcs of current narratives and the SmackDown preview on WWE.com offer hints of what we will see as the show unfolds.

News, Potential Spoilers

In response to the losses piling up of late, Ziggler may join forces with other former college wrestlers.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Nick Hausman of Wrestle Zone), WWE is considering creating a stable featuring Ziggler, Jack Swagger and Shelton Benjamin built around their amateur wrestling backgrounds.

Benjamin is currently recovering from shoulder surgery, so it's not something that would begin in earnest right now, but we could see hints of the faction forming on Tuesday. Should Ziggler continue to fail to take down The Miz, captaining a "shooter" group would be a smart direction.

As Geno Mrosko noted on Cageside Seats, Eva Marie's 30-day suspension for violating the company's wellness policy ended last week.

Richard Shotwell/Associated Press

She didn't return to action on the Sept. 20 edition of SmackDown, nor has she competed on house shows recently, per the Internet Wrestling Database.

And when Ambrose and Styles lock horns on Tuesday night, their No Mercy opponent won't be far. James Caldwell noted on PWTorch that Cena is among those advertised for Tuesday's show.

SmackDown Streaks

Ambrose has been no stranger to victory recently. On last week's SmackDown, The Lunatic Fringe defeated Cena, handing WWE's golden boy a rare clean TV loss.

That marked Ambrose's second win on the blue brand in a row. Since the draft in July, he has gone 5-1, with that single loss being a disqualification, per CageMatch.net.

It's clear WWE wants to keep presenting Ambrose as an elite Superstar, title or no title.

Apollo Crews can't say the same thing. The company has booked him as an afterthought in recent weeks.

Last Tuesday, he fell to Baron Corbin for the second consecutive time on SmackDown. According to CageMatch.net, Crews is now 0-4 in his last four matches on the blue brand.

Not everyone can go on a winning streak at the same time, but it's been odd how quickly WWE has stopped trying to generate momentum for the recent NXT transplant.

Marching Toward No Mercy

SmackDown's women's division promises to get ample spotlight in Cleveland, thanks to a pair of rivalries that have grown increasingly intense.

Carmella continues to attack Bella. They met in tag team action last week, where The Princess of Staten Island pummeled Bella at ringside until the referee called off the match. 

Bella will be in search of revenge.

Alexa Bliss and Becky Lynch have overflowing animosity between them as well. As the two Superstars signed the contract for their Women's Championship match last week, Bliss bowled over the champ and flipped a table onto her.

She is likely not done terrorizing Lynch. The WWE.com SmackDown preview hinted as much: "There's no doubt that Alexa will do whatever it takes to gain momentum en route to her pay-per-view title opportunity."

Ziggler, meanwhile, will be hoping for another crack at The Miz and the Intercontinental Championship.

The last two title bouts ended with The Showoff tasting defeat. The Miz escaped both times by blinding the challenger with hairspray.

Is Ziggler set to unravel? The SmackDown preview asked, "After being left speechless by his heartbreaking loss, will Ziggler be able to bounce back again?"

Expect some progression in the feud between Randy Orton and Wyatt.

Orton took out Wyatt underling Erick Rowan last Tuesday. The Viper will want to get his hands on Wyatt next. 

And while Orton vs. Wyatt is not on the No Mercy card as of now, Heath Slater and Rhyno's opponents for the PPV are already set. The Usos battered American Alpha to earn a title shot against the champs.

The Usos may look to hurt The Beauty and The Man Beast ahead of the Oct. 9 event. Hurting people and enjoying it has been their recent M.O.

The SmackDown preview asked, "Considering their ruthless new attitude, will Jimmy and Jey Uso look to send the titleholders a painful message en route to No Mercy?"

Chances are that they will. The newly turned heels have been unapologetically vicious.

Ambrose may have to borrow some of that strategy to overcome Styles.