Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - A ranar 22 ga watan Agusta na "SmackDown", Roode ya fara fitowa a matsayin babban fuska, ya ci Aiden English a wasan wasa guda daya kuma daga baya ya ci Mike Kanellis a wasan na gaba na "SmackDown Live". A ranar 26 ga Satumba na "SmackDown Live", Roode ya fuskanci kuma ya kalubalanci Dolph Ziggler don wasa a ranar 8 ga Oktoba a Hell in a Cell
wanda Roode ya ci nasara tare da juyawa yayin da yake riƙe da tights na Ziggler. Bayan haka, Ziggler ya kai wa Roode hari kuma ya buƙaci sakewa a cikin shirin na gaba na "SmackDown Live" wanda Roode ya karɓa, yana fama da rashin nasararsa na farko a kan babban jerin saboda wannan lokacin Ziggler ne ya riƙe tights na Roode. A ranar 24 ga Oktoba na "SmackDown Live", Roode ya katse hira da Ziggler da Renee Young a bayan fage, yana ba da shawarar wasan biyu daga cikin uku da za a yi a mako mai zuwa a "SmackDown Live" tare da Ziggler, wanda ya karɓa. Roode sannan ya kayar da Ziggler sau biyu zuwa ɗaya, yana kawo ƙarshen ƙiyayya da kuma samun wuri a Team SmackDown a Survivor Series. A ranar 19 ga Nuwamba a Survivor Series, an kawar da Roode a matsayi na biyu daga Braun Strowman da Team SmackDown sannan daga ƙarshe ya rasa zuwa Team Raw. A ƙarshen Nuwamba, Roode ya fara gasa tare da Gwarzon Amurka Baron Corbin, wanda ya haifar da wasa don taken a ranar 17 ga Disamba a "Clash of Champions" wanda ya haɗa da Ziggler, wanda ya lashe taken ta hanyar cin nasarar Corbin.