After nearly a month off, Hardy returned on the October 9 episode of "SmackDown Live", defeating Samoa Joe to qualify for the WWE World Cup tournament at Crown Jewel. At the event, Hardy lost to The Miz in the first round of the tournament. On the November 6 episode of "SmackDown Live", Hardy lost to Samoa Joe in an attempt to join Team SmackDown at Survivor Series. However, the following week, Hardy defeated Andrade "Cien" Almas to earn a spot on Team SmackDown, after team member Daniel Bryan was removed from the match. At Survivor Series, Team SmackDown lost to Team Raw. At the Royal Rumble pay-per-view on January 27, 2019, Hardy participated in the Royal Rumble match, but was unsuccessful. At Elimination Chamber, Hardy failed to capture the WWE Championship in an Elimination Chamber match, after being eliminated by Daniel Bryan.