The aftermath of Survivor Series is not yet over for WWE SmackDown. Randy Orton will take on Kevin Owens on Tuesday seeking revenge for how the heel impacted the pay-per-view.

Last week, Owens managed a cheap win against The New Day. This time out, he will have to deal with The Viper. General manager Daniel Bryan booked the match on the last SmackDown.

That's a far better situation than the one Owens thought was coming his way when the blue brand's authority figures discussed firing the powerhouse.

Lexington, Kentucky, will host SmackDown as the show begins its build to the Dec. 17 Clash of Champions in earnest. AJ Styles will face his rival's lackeys. The SmackDown Tag Team Championship picture promises to grow clearer. And we'll likely see what awaits KO at the PPV.

Backstage news, the SmackDown preview on WWE.com and storyline analysis help provide an early look at Tuesday's show before it airs on USA Network at 8 p.m. ET.

News, Rumors

SmackDown fans aren't going to see Becky Lynch in action for the moment. She'll be busy shooting the latest installment in The Marine franchise.

Dave Meltzer reported on Figure Four Online, "The Miz and Becky Lynch will be off television and house shows for several weeks."

Sami Zayn will be around but may still be in the doghouse to a degree.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), the heat surrounding Owens after WWE sent him and Zayn home from the European tour recently has died down, but it hasn't yet done the same for Zayn. There seems to be lingering backstage issues with him.

It's not bad enough to keep him off TV as Zayn as remained a steady figure on SmackDown, but the situation is worth keeping an eye on.

The Bludgeon Brothers, who re-debuted with new gimmicks last week, gained hammers during their transformation but lost their first names. Luke Harper and Erick Rowan are listed as simply Harper and Rowan respectively on WWE.com.

They join Rusev, Cesaro, Neville and others who have suffered the same fate.

SmackDown Streaks

Shelton Benjamin hasn't lost since returning to WWE in August.

He defeated Jey Uso in singles action last week in Houston. That stretched his winning streak in televised matches to seven, per CageMatch.net.

WWE has made a clear effort to churn up momentum for him and his tag team partner Chad Gable. That's not likely to stop anytime soon, either. The duo looks poised to take the tag titles home before long.

The Hype Bros, meanwhile, are at the center of a completely different story. Their struggles have created strain as they keep teasing a split.

They stumbled again last week with a loss to The Bludgeon Brothers. Per CageMatch.net, Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder have eight consecutive defeats on their resumes. They haven't won a match on SmackDown since last December.

Should they compete on Tuesday, a breakup will be more likely than a victory.

Preview

Despite being outnumbered, Styles will still be the favorite in his next bout as he takes on The Singh Brothers. 

After beating both of Jinder Mahal's underlings individually, he'll now face them in a handicap match. The WWE champ, though, should have little issue dispatching of Samir and Sunil, who have been booked as pushovers in the vein of J&J Security. 

Over in the tag team division, The Usos will be watching closely as a match scheduled for Tuesday will help decide who steps up to them for the titles next. Benjamin and Gable are set to face off against The New Day.

Gable and Benjamin own a count-out win over the champs but will be looking to challenge for the gold again soon. Defeating the former titleholders here would push the duo in that direction.

SmackDown's comedy relief will come in the form of a new edition of Fashion Files. Breezango's latest comedy skit will spoof the Saw movie series.

That's also good news for The Ascension, who have been regular guest stars in these backstage bits and have had little airtime outside of that.

Tuesday's headline angle will feature additional fallout from Survivor Series. Owens and Zayn have yet to be fully punished for derailing Team Blue in its battle with Raw that night.

Bryan has lined up a showdown for Owens against Orton that may result in KO getting his comeuppance by way of an RKO.

It will be interesting to see whether Orton and The Prizefighter kick off a full-fledged feud here or if SmackDown has other plans for Owens. The former universal champ has had issues with everyone from commissioner Shane McMahon to The New Day. What WWE has in mind for him at Clash of Champions should take shape soon.