After a brief hiatus, Orton returned at Extreme Rules and attacked Jeff Hardy after Hardy's match against Shinsuke Nakamura for the United States Championship, turning heel in the process. Two nights later on "SmackDown Live", Orton interfered in the rematch and attacked Hardy again. On the August 21 episode of "SmackDown Live", Orton and Hardy faced off in a match that ended in a no-contest, with Hardy continuing to attack Orton after the match. At Hell in a Cell, Orton defeated Hardy in a Hell in a Cell match. On the October 9 episode of "SmackDown Live", Orton defeated a returning Big Show to qualify for the WWE World Cup at Crown Jewel. At Crown Jewel, he lost to Rey Mysterio in the first round. He then started a feud with Mysterio, stealing Mysterio's mask on the November 21 episode of "SmackDown Live" and carrying it with him for a few weeks. At , Orton lost to Mysterio in a chairs match. At the Royal Rumble pay-per-view on January 27, 2019, Orton entered the namesake match at number 29, eliminating Mysterio before he was himself eliminated by Andrade. Orton competed in the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber, where he eliminated AJ Styles before being eliminated by Kofi Kingston.