WWE SmackDown: Potential Spoilers, Rumors, News and Preview for May 2

Enemies will become allies, and former best friends will again look to end each other on Tuesday's WWE SmackDown.

To combat a newly formed faction, rivals Charlotte Flair and Naomi will join forces in a tag team contest. And after dropping the United States Championship to Chris Jericho on Sunday's Payback pay-per-view, a rematch awaits Kevin Owens.

Underdogs will continue to chase after gold, a bruiser will remain on the sidelines, and Jericho may be saying his goodbyes as SmackDown builds to its next PPV event, Backlash on May 21.

Fresno, California, will host all the animosity and action. Backstage news, the SmackDown preview on WWE.com and a breakdown of ongoing stories provide an early look at what is set to unfold.

The blue brand will then kick off its latest show on Tuesday at 8 p.m. on USA Network.

News, Potential Spoilers

Y2J's SmackDown tenure may be extremely brief.

His U.S. title win over Owens meant he would be added to the blue brand. Jericho, though, looks to be on his way out of WWE. 

Credit: WWE.com

In a pre-WrestleMania interview with Chris Smith of Forbes, Jericho spoke about his upcoming schedule and how he'll be focusing on his band, Fozzy, for the moment.

"I think this [wrestling] run is pretty much winding down at this point," Jericho said. "It's time to take a break from wrestling and work on some of these other things that have been on the back burner and are starting to come to fruition."

Wrestling Inc's Raj Giri noted, "Jericho's current WWE run is set to end as Jericho will begin touring with Fozzy in May."

If Tuesday's SmackDown ends up being a farewell for Jericho, Baron Corbin won't be around to see it. The Lone Wolf will be out due to a (storyline) suspension after attacking Sami Zayn on Talking Smack last week.

SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon announced afterward that Corbin would be punished: 

Jinder Mahal, meanwhile, is in the midst of the biggest push of his career.

During his quest for the WWE title, the No. 1 contender may see his posse grow. He already has The Singh Brothers (formerly The Bollywood Boyz) at his side but could be adding more goons.

Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Nick Paglino of Wrestle Zone) in mid-April that WWE wants to build a stable around Mahal. That could eventually reportedly include NXT talent Jeet Rama and Kishan Raftar moving up to the main roster to join forces with The Maharajah. 

SmackDown Streaks

AJ Styles may not be champion anymore, but his win-loss record is a sign that he's clearly a priority for the brand.

On the latest edition of SmackDown, Styles defeated Corbin for the second consecutive week. As seen on CageMatch.net, The Phenomenal One has now won three bouts on the blue brand in a row. He's also 6-1 in his last seven matches overall.

If he steps into the ring in Fresno, the smart money is on him to keep on rolling.

Erick Rowan is on the other side of the spectrum. He's been a doormat.

He got a major opportunity in facing Randy Orton last Tuesday, but he lost via disqualification. Per CageMatch.net, Rowan has lost eight SmackDown matches in a row and is winless in 2017 so far.

Backlash Build

For the past two weeks, Flair and Naomi have been trying to knock each other out. They will enter Tuesday's SmackDown as allies, however.

On the latest episode, Natalya, Carmella and Tamina stormed into the title match between Flair and Naomi. They attacked both women and made sure there would be no victor that night.

Flair and Naomi will now face Natalya and Carmella in a tag team match, as announced on WWE.com's SmackDown preview.

While the rivals may struggle to get along as a duo, Tyler Breeze and Fandango will continue riding their chemistry to the top of the SmackDown tag team division. Breezango became No. 1 contenders last week by winning a Beat the Clock Challenge in a surprising result. 

Expect SmackDown's fashion police to be extra cocky as a result and for them to be spotlighted more than usual.

At Backlash, Breeze and Fandango will collide with The Usos. It's unclear what kind of story will unfold between the two until then, but fans won't have to wait long to find out.

As of now, Styles is set to challenge Jericho for the U.S. title at that same PPV.

The curator of The List of Jericho, though, may not be champ by then. He will face Owens on Tuesday night in a title bout rematch.

Credit: WWE.com

Jericho's expected hiatus makes him unlikely to hold onto the gold. 

Tuesday's SmackDown will also look to hype the upcoming match between Mahal and Orton for the WWE Championship at Backlash.

Mahal stole the title from Orton on the most recent episode of SmackDown. At Payback, he ambushed Orton, costing him his match with Bray Wyatt. 

The WWE.com SmackDown preview asked: "Will Mahal feel the wrath of a furious Viper on SmackDown LIVE?"

That's the logical next step in this narrative. Orton is sure to be angry heading into Fresno. He may not be able to dish out comeuppance until Backlash, however. 

WWE has a PPV headline bout to sell, after all.