On October 16, on the 1000th episode of "SmackDown", Mysterio competed in his first singles match with the company since April 2014, where he defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to qualify for the WWE World Cup tournament. During the tournament at Crown Jewel, Mysterio defeated Randy Orton in the first round, but was attacked by Orton after the match. Later in the night, Mysterio lost to The Miz in the semi-finals. On the November 6 episode of "SmackDown Live", Mysterio defeated Andrade "Cien" Almas to qualify for Team SmackDown in a 5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination match at Survivor Series. At the event, Mysterio eliminated Finn Bálor before being eliminated by Braun Strowman, and Team SmackDown ultimately lost to Team Raw. Two nights later on "SmackDown Live", Mysterio was attacked by Randy Orton, as well as he ripped Mysterio's mask off of his face. The two fought the following week, with Orton getting the upper-hand. At , Mysterio defeated Orton in a Chairs match, ending their feud. On January 27, 2019, at the Royal Rumble, Mysterio entered the Royal Rumble match at number 25, but was eliminated by Orton.