diff --git a/src/sna/sna.h b/src/sna/sna.h
index 3ccc74c8..6fe1f0d2 100644
--- a/src/sna/sna.h
+++ b/src/sna/sna.h
@@ -310,7 +310,6 @@ struct sna {
 		unsigned flip_active;
 		unsigned hidden;
 		bool shadow_enabled;
-		bool shadow_wait;
 		bool dirty;
 
 		struct drm_event_vblank *shadow_events;
diff --git a/src/sna/sna_display.c b/src/sna/sna_display.c
index becc6061..a611b46d 100644
--- a/src/sna/sna_display.c
+++ b/src/sna/sna_display.c
@@ -1703,8 +1703,8 @@ static bool wait_for_shadow(struct sna *sna,
 	int flip_active;
 	bool ret = true;
 
-	DBG(("%s: enabled? %d waiting? %d, flags=%x, flips=%d, pixmap=%ld [front?=%d], handle=%d, shadow=%d\n",
-	     __FUNCTION__, sna->mode.shadow_enabled, sna->mode.shadow_wait,
+	DBG(("%s: enabled? %d flags=%x, flips=%d, pixmap=%ld [front?=%d], handle=%d, shadow=%d\n",
+	     __FUNCTION__, sna->mode.shadow_enabled,
 	     flags, sna->mode.flip_active,
 	     pixmap->drawable.serialNumber, pixmap == sna->front,
 	     priv->gpu_bo->handle, sna->mode.shadow->handle));
@@ -1716,7 +1716,6 @@ static bool wait_for_shadow(struct sna *sna,
 		goto done;
 
 	assert(sna->mode.shadow_damage);
-	assert(!sna->mode.shadow_wait);
 
 	if ((flags & MOVE_WRITE) == 0) {
 		if ((flags & __MOVE_SCANOUT) == 0) {
@@ -1758,7 +1757,6 @@ static bool wait_for_shadow(struct sna *sna,
 	}
 
 	assert(sna->mode.shadow_active);
-	sna->mode.shadow_wait = true;
 
 	flip_active = sna->mode.flip_active;
 	if (flip_active) {
@@ -1768,21 +1766,6 @@ static bool wait_for_shadow(struct sna *sna,
 		DBG(("%s: %d flips still pending, shadow flip_active=%d\n",
 		     __FUNCTION__, sna->mode.flip_active, flip_active));
 	}
-	if (flip_active) {
-		/* raw cmd to avoid setting wedged in the middle of an op */
-		drmIoctl(sna->kgem.fd, DRM_IOCTL_I915_GEM_THROTTLE, 0);
-		sna->kgem.need_throttle = false;
-
-		while (flip_active && sna_mode_wakeup(sna)) {
-			struct sna_crtc *crtc;
-
-			flip_active = sna->mode.flip_active;
-			list_for_each_entry(crtc, &sna->mode.shadow_crtc, shadow_link)
-				flip_active -= crtc->flip_pending;
-		}
-		DBG(("%s: after waiting %d flips outstanding, flip_active=%d\n",
-		     __FUNCTION__, sna->mode.flip_active, flip_active));
-	}
 
 	bo = sna->mode.shadow;
 	if (flip_active) {
@@ -1792,26 +1775,19 @@ static bool wait_for_shadow(struct sna *sna,
 				    pixmap->drawable.bitsPerPixel,
 				    priv->gpu_bo->tiling,
 				    CREATE_EXACT | CREATE_SCANOUT);
-		if (bo != NULL) {
-			DBG(("%s: replacing still-attached GPU bo handle=%d, flips=%d\n",
-			     __FUNCTION__, priv->gpu_bo->tiling, sna->mode.flip_active));
+		if (bo == NULL)
+			return false;
 
-			RegionUninit(&sna->mode.shadow_region);
-			sna->mode.shadow_region.extents.x1 = 0;
-			sna->mode.shadow_region.extents.y1 = 0;
-			sna->mode.shadow_region.extents.x2 = pixmap->drawable.width;
-			sna->mode.shadow_region.extents.y2 = pixmap->drawable.height;
-			sna->mode.shadow_region.data = NULL;
-		} else {
-			while (sna->mode.flip_active &&
-			       sna_mode_wait_for_event(sna))
-				sna_mode_wakeup(sna);
+		DBG(("%s: replacing still-attached GPU bo handle=%d, flips=%d\n",
+		     __FUNCTION__, priv->gpu_bo->tiling, sna->mode.flip_active));
 
-			bo = sna->mode.shadow;
-		}
+		RegionUninit(&sna->mode.shadow_region);
+		sna->mode.shadow_region.extents.x1 = 0;
+		sna->mode.shadow_region.extents.y1 = 0;
+		sna->mode.shadow_region.extents.x2 = pixmap->drawable.width;
+		sna->mode.shadow_region.extents.y2 = pixmap->drawable.height;
+		sna->mode.shadow_region.data = NULL;
 	}
-	assert(sna->mode.shadow_wait);
-	sna->mode.shadow_wait = false;
 
 	if (bo->refcnt > 1) {
 		bo = kgem_create_2d(&sna->kgem,
@@ -1919,9 +1895,6 @@ done:
 	priv->move_to_gpu_data = NULL;
 	priv->move_to_gpu = NULL;
 
-	assert(!sna->mode.shadow_wait);
-	flush_events(sna);
-
 	assert(sna->mode.shadow->active_scanout);
 	return ret;
 }
@@ -9050,6 +9023,12 @@ void sna_mode_redisplay(struct sna *sna)
 	if (sna->mode.dirty)
 		return;
 
+	if (sna->mode.flip_active) {
+		DBG(("%s: %d outstanding flips\n",
+		     __FUNCTION__, sna->mode.flip_active));
+		return;
+	}
+
 	region = DamageRegion(sna->mode.shadow_damage);
 	if (RegionNil(region))
 		return;
@@ -9059,23 +9038,6 @@ void sna_mode_redisplay(struct sna *sna)
 	     region->extents.x1, region->extents.y1,
 	     region->extents.x2, region->extents.y2));
 
-	if (sna->mode.flip_active) {
-		DBG(("%s: checking for %d outstanding flip completions\n",
-		     __FUNCTION__, sna->mode.flip_active));
-
-		sna->mode.dirty = true;
-		while (sna->mode.flip_active && sna_mode_wakeup(sna))
-			;
-		sna->mode.dirty = false;
-
-		DBG(("%s: now %d outstanding flip completions (enabled? %d)\n",
-		     __FUNCTION__,
-		     sna->mode.flip_active,
-		     sna->mode.shadow_enabled));
-		if (sna->mode.flip_active || !sna->mode.shadow_enabled)
-			return;
-	}
-
 	if (!move_crtc_to_gpu(sna)) {
 		DBG(("%s: forcing scanout update using the CPU\n", __FUNCTION__));
 		if (!sna_pixmap_move_to_cpu(sna->front, MOVE_READ))
@@ -9463,6 +9425,7 @@ fixup_flip:
 
 int sna_mode_wakeup(struct sna *sna)
 {
+	bool defer_vblanks = sna->mode.flip_active && sna->mode.shadow_enabled;
 	char buffer[1024];
 	int len, i;
 	int ret = 0;
@@ -9473,14 +9436,14 @@ again:
 	 * event from drm.
 	 */
 	if (!event_pending(sna->kgem.fd))
-		return ret;
+		goto done;
 
 	/* The DRM read semantics guarantees that we always get only
 	 * complete events.
 	 */
 	len = read(sna->kgem.fd, buffer, sizeof (buffer));
 	if (len < (int)sizeof(struct drm_event))
-		return ret;
+		goto done;
 
 	/* Note that we cannot rely on the passed in struct sna matching
 	 * the struct sna used for the vblank event (in case it was submitted
@@ -9495,7 +9458,7 @@ again:
 		struct drm_event *e = (struct drm_event *)&buffer[i];
 		switch (e->type) {
 		case DRM_EVENT_VBLANK:
-			if (sna->mode.shadow_wait)
+			if (defer_vblanks)
 				defer_event(sna, e);
 			else if (((uintptr_t)((struct drm_event_vblank *)e)->user_data) & 2)
 				sna_present_vblank_handler((struct drm_event_vblank *)e);
@@ -9566,4 +9529,8 @@ again:
 	}
 
 	goto again;
+
+done:
+	flush_events(sna);
+	return ret;
 }
diff --git a/src/sna/sna_present.c b/src/sna/sna_present.c
index a2ce808f..523261cd 100644
--- a/src/sna/sna_present.c
+++ b/src/sna/sna_present.c
@@ -460,12 +460,6 @@ sna_present_vblank_handler(struct drm_event_vblank *event)
 
 	msc = sna_crtc_record_event(info->crtc, event);
 
-	if (info->sna->mode.shadow_wait) {
-		DBG(("%s: recursed from TearFree\n", __FUNCTION__));
-		if (TimerSet(NULL, 0, 1, sna_fake_vblank_handler, info))
-			return;
-	}
-
 	vblank_complete(info, ust64(event->tv_sec, event->tv_usec), msc);
 }