At Crown Jewel in November, Strowman lost to Lesnar after a pre-match attack by Raw general manager Baron Corbin and five F-5s, in which Strowman kicked out of four F-5s. Later that month at Survivor Series, Strowman was again attacked by Corbin, along with McIntyre and Bobby Lashley, after Team Raw defeated Team SmackDown in the traditional tag team elimination match. The following night on "Raw" Strowman would again be attacked by Corbin, Lashley and McIntyre. This was to write him off television, as WWE revealed that Strowman was suffering an legit elbow injury, which would require surgery. Strowman returned at in December, where he defeated Corbin in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match to earn a Universal Championship match against Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble and Corbin was stripped of all authoritative power. On the January 14, 2019 episode of "Raw", he was removed from the Universal Championship match after damaging Vince McMahon's limo after chasing Baron Corbin, and refusing to pay for the damages. However, he instead participated in the Royal Rumble match, replacing John Cena, who wasn't medically cleared to compete. During the match, he was last man eliminated by the eventual winner Seth Rollins. In February, Strowman continued his feud with Corbin, leading to a no-disqualification match at Elimination Chamber, which Strowman lost after interference from McIntyre and Lashley. However, the following night on "Raw", Strowman defeated Corbin in a tables match.