diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/io/hfile/FixedFileTrailer.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/io/hfile/FixedFileTrailer.java
index 67350366c50..f6ae2918d7b 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/io/hfile/FixedFileTrailer.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/io/hfile/FixedFileTrailer.java
@@ -570,10 +570,17 @@ public class FixedFileTrailer {
         comparatorClassName = KeyValue.META_COMPARATOR.getClass().getName();
       } else if (comparatorClassName.equals(KeyValue.RAW_COMPARATOR.getLegacyKeyComparatorName())) {
         comparatorClassName = KeyValue.RAW_COMPARATOR.getClass().getName();
+      } else if (comparatorClassName.equals("org.apache.hadoop.hbase.CellComparator")) {
+        // 2.0 based comparators found in class name. Convert it to corresponding Comparators in 1.x
+        // branch. Refer to HBASE-16189
+        comparatorClassName = KeyValue.COMPARATOR.getClass().getName();
+      } else if ((comparatorClassName
+          .equals("org.apache.hadoop.hbase.CellComparator$MetaCellComparator"))) {
+        // Refer to HBASE-16189. Fallback to 1.x comparators
+        comparatorClassName = KeyValue.META_COMPARATOR.getClass().getName();
       }
 
       // if the name wasn't one of the legacy names, maybe its a legit new kind of comparator.
-
       return (Class<? extends KVComparator>)
           Class.forName(comparatorClassName);
     } catch (ClassNotFoundException ex) {
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/util/CompoundBloomFilter.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/util/CompoundBloomFilter.java
index beda805ed1a..23f1c1af3dd 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/util/CompoundBloomFilter.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/util/CompoundBloomFilter.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import java.io.IOException;
 import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
 
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.classification.InterfaceAudience;
+import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.KeyValue;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.KeyValue.KVComparator;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.io.hfile.BlockType;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.io.hfile.FixedFileTrailer;
@@ -70,8 +71,15 @@ public class CompoundBloomFilter extends CompoundBloomFilterBase
     totalKeyCount = meta.readLong();
     totalMaxKeys = meta.readLong();
     numChunks = meta.readInt();
-    comparator = FixedFileTrailer.createComparator(
-        Bytes.toString(Bytes.readByteArray(meta)));
+    byte[] comparatorClassName = Bytes.readByteArray(meta);
+    if (comparatorClassName.length != 0) {
+      comparator = FixedFileTrailer.createComparator(Bytes.toString(comparatorClassName));
+    } else {
+      // Fallback. In 2.0 we will not write the RAW_COMPARATOR name. So when reading back such meta
+      // data. Refer to HBASE-16189
+      // we set the comparator to RAW_COMPARATOR
+      comparator = KeyValue.RAW_COMPARATOR;
+    }
 
     hash = Hash.getInstance(hashType);
     if (hash == null) {