diff --git a/contrib/amcheck/verify_nbtree.c b/contrib/amcheck/verify_nbtree.c
index e4d501a85d..c9f9e755dc 100644
--- a/contrib/amcheck/verify_nbtree.c
+++ b/contrib/amcheck/verify_nbtree.c
@@ -2864,11 +2864,8 @@ palloc_btree_page(BtreeCheckState *state, BlockNumber blocknum)
 	 * As noted at the beginning of _bt_binsrch(), an internal page must have
 	 * children, since there must always be a negative infinity downlink
 	 * (there may also be a highkey).  In the case of non-rightmost leaf
-	 * pages, there must be at least a highkey.  Deleted pages on replica
-	 * might contain no items, because page unlink re-initializes
-	 * page-to-be-deleted.  Deleted pages with no items might be on primary
-	 * too due to preceding recovery, but on primary new deletions can't
-	 * happen concurrently to amcheck.
+	 * pages, there must be at least a highkey.  The exceptions are deleted
+	 * pages, which contain no items.
 	 *
 	 * This is correct when pages are half-dead, since internal pages are
 	 * never half-dead, and leaf pages must have a high key when half-dead
diff --git a/src/backend/access/nbtree/nbtpage.c b/src/backend/access/nbtree/nbtpage.c
index 53dff32680..d5db9aaa3a 100644
--- a/src/backend/access/nbtree/nbtpage.c
+++ b/src/backend/access/nbtree/nbtpage.c
@@ -2058,6 +2058,7 @@ _bt_unlink_halfdead_page(Relation rel, Buffer leafbuf, BlockNumber scanblkno,
 	BTMetaPageData *metad = NULL;
 	ItemId		itemid;
 	Page		page;
+	PageHeader	header;
 	BTPageOpaque opaque;
 	bool		rightsib_is_rightmost;
 	int			targetlevel;
@@ -2327,6 +2328,14 @@ _bt_unlink_halfdead_page(Relation rel, Buffer leafbuf, BlockNumber scanblkno,
 	opaque->btpo_flags |= BTP_DELETED;
 	opaque->btpo.xact = ReadNewTransactionId();
 
+	/*
+	 * Remove the remaining tuples on the page.  This keeps things simple for
+	 * WAL consistency checking.
+	 */
+	header = (PageHeader) page;
+	header->pd_lower = SizeOfPageHeaderData;
+	header->pd_upper = header->pd_special;
+
 	/* And update the metapage, if needed */
 	if (BufferIsValid(metabuf))
 	{
diff --git a/src/backend/access/nbtree/nbtxlog.c b/src/backend/access/nbtree/nbtxlog.c
index 09d1b0e341..be0fa450f3 100644
--- a/src/backend/access/nbtree/nbtxlog.c
+++ b/src/backend/access/nbtree/nbtxlog.c
@@ -1051,15 +1051,7 @@ btree_mask(char *pagedata, BlockNumber blkno)
 
 	maskopaq = (BTPageOpaque) PageGetSpecialPointer(page);
 
-	if (P_ISDELETED(maskopaq))
-	{
-		/*
-		 * Mask page content on a DELETED page since it will be re-initialized
-		 * during replay. See btree_xlog_unlink_page() for details.
-		 */
-		mask_page_content(page);
-	}
-	else if (P_ISLEAF(maskopaq))
+	if (P_ISLEAF(maskopaq))
 	{
 		/*
 		 * In btree leaf pages, it is possible to modify the LP_FLAGS without