diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/LockMode.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/LockMode.java
index b2b4216dea..11f500538f 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/LockMode.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/LockMode.java
@@ -149,10 +149,8 @@ public enum LockMode {
 			}
 		}
 
-		for ( LockMode lockMode : LockMode.values() ) {
-			if ( lockMode.externalForm.equalsIgnoreCase( externalForm ) ) {
-				return lockMode;
-			}
+		if ( externalForm.equalsIgnoreCase( "upgrade" ) ) {
+			return PESSIMISTIC_WRITE;
 		}
 
 		throw new IllegalArgumentException( "Unable to interpret LockMode reference from incoming external form : " + externalForm );
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/jpa/lock/JPALockTest.java b/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/jpa/lock/JPALockTest.java
index 083105b06b..52f53f52ad 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/jpa/lock/JPALockTest.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/jpa/lock/JPALockTest.java
@@ -183,13 +183,10 @@ public class JPALockTest extends AbstractJPATest {
 		final String initialName = "lock test";
 		// set up some test data
 		Item it = new Item();
-		MyEntity entity = new MyEntity();
 		inTransaction(
 				session -> {
 					it.setName( initialName );
 					session.save( it );
-					entity.setName( "Test" );
-					session.save( entity );
 				}
 		);
 
@@ -197,7 +194,6 @@ public class JPALockTest extends AbstractJPATest {
 		long initialVersion = it.getVersion();
 		Session s1 = null;
 		Session s2 = null;
-		MyEntity myEntity;
 		Item item;
 		try {
 			s1 = sessionFactory().openSession();
@@ -206,10 +202,6 @@ public class JPALockTest extends AbstractJPATest {
 			s1.lock( item, LockMode.PESSIMISTIC_FORCE_INCREMENT );
 			assertEquals( initialVersion + 1, item.getVersion(), "no forced version increment" );
 
-			myEntity = s1.get( MyEntity.class, entity.getId() );
-			s1.lock( myEntity, LockMode.PESSIMISTIC_FORCE_INCREMENT );
-			assertTrue(  true, "LockMode.PESSIMISTIC_FORCE_INCREMENT on a un-versioned entity should degrade nicely to UPGRADE" );
-
 			s1.lock( item, LockMode.PESSIMISTIC_FORCE_INCREMENT );
 			assertEquals( initialVersion + 1, item.getVersion(), "subsequent LockMode.FORCE did not no-op" );
 
@@ -275,7 +267,6 @@ public class JPALockTest extends AbstractJPATest {
 		inTransaction(
 				session -> {
 					session.delete( item );
-					session.delete( myEntity );
 				}
 		);
 	}