diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/watcher/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/watcher/WatcherIndexingListener.java b/x-pack/plugin/watcher/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/watcher/WatcherIndexingListener.java
index 54baf94e8d5..9e29c3110bc 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/watcher/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/watcher/WatcherIndexingListener.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/watcher/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/watcher/WatcherIndexingListener.java
@@ -167,6 +167,7 @@ final class WatcherIndexingListener implements IndexingOperationListener, Cluste
     @Override
     public Engine.Delete preDelete(ShardId shardId, Engine.Delete delete) {
         if (isWatchDocument(shardId.getIndexName())) {
+            logger.debug("removing watch [{}] to trigger service via delete", delete.id());
             triggerService.remove(delete.id());
         }
 
diff --git a/x-pack/qa/smoke-test-watcher/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/smoketest/SmokeTestWatcherTestSuiteIT.java b/x-pack/qa/smoke-test-watcher/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/smoketest/SmokeTestWatcherTestSuiteIT.java
index b64a20db78f..e1d79858f35 100644
--- a/x-pack/qa/smoke-test-watcher/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/smoketest/SmokeTestWatcherTestSuiteIT.java
+++ b/x-pack/qa/smoke-test-watcher/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/smoketest/SmokeTestWatcherTestSuiteIT.java
@@ -7,11 +7,13 @@ package org.elasticsearch.smoketest;
 
 import org.elasticsearch.client.Request;
 import org.elasticsearch.client.Response;
+import org.elasticsearch.client.ResponseException;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.Strings;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.settings.SecureString;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.settings.Settings;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.util.concurrent.ThreadContext;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.XContentBuilder;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.XContentType;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.rest.ESRestTestCase;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.rest.yaml.ObjectPath;
 import org.elasticsearch.xpack.test.rest.XPackRestTestConstants;
@@ -110,7 +112,7 @@ public class SmokeTestWatcherTestSuiteIT extends ESRestTestCase {
 
     @AwaitsFix(bugUrl = "https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/issues/32299")
     public void testMonitorClusterHealth() throws Exception {
-        String watchId = "cluster_health_watch";
+        final String watchId = "cluster_health_watch";
 
         // get master publish address
         Response clusterStateResponse = adminClient().performRequest(new Request("GET", "/_cluster/state"));
@@ -124,7 +126,7 @@ public class SmokeTestWatcherTestSuiteIT extends ESRestTestCase {
         assertThat(address, is(notNullValue()));
         String[] splitAddress = address.split(":", 2);
         String host = splitAddress[0];
-        int port = Integer.valueOf(splitAddress[1]);
+        int port = Integer.parseInt(splitAddress[1]);
 
         // put watch
         try (XContentBuilder builder = jsonBuilder()) {
@@ -156,11 +158,17 @@ public class SmokeTestWatcherTestSuiteIT extends ESRestTestCase {
 
         // check watch history
         ObjectPath objectPath = getWatchHistoryEntry(watchId);
-        boolean conditionMet = objectPath.evaluate("hits.hits.0._source.result.condition.met");
-        assertThat(conditionMet, is(true));
+        Boolean conditionMet = objectPath.evaluate("hits.hits.0._source.result.condition.met");
+        String historyEntriesAsString = Strings.toString(objectPath.toXContentBuilder(XContentType.JSON.xContent()));
+        assertThat("condition not met in response [" + historyEntriesAsString + "]", conditionMet, is(true));
 
         deleteWatch(watchId);
-        assertWatchCount(0);
+        // Wrap inside an assertBusy(...), because watch may execute just after being deleted,
+        // This tries to re-add the watch which fails, because of version conflict,
+        // but for a moment the watch count from watcher stats api may be incorrect.
+        // (via WatcherIndexingListener#preIndex)
+        // The WatcherIndexingListener#postIndex() detects this version conflict and corrects the watch count.
+        assertBusy(() -> assertWatchCount(0));
     }
 
     private void indexWatch(String watchId, XContentBuilder builder) throws Exception {
@@ -182,16 +190,54 @@ public class SmokeTestWatcherTestSuiteIT extends ESRestTestCase {
     private ObjectPath getWatchHistoryEntry(String watchId) throws Exception {
         final AtomicReference<ObjectPath> objectPathReference = new AtomicReference<>();
         assertBusy(() -> {
-            client().performRequest(new Request("POST", "/.watcher-history-*/_refresh"));
+            try {
+                client().performRequest(new Request("POST", "/.watcher-history-*/_refresh"));
+            } catch (ResponseException e) {
+                final String err = "Failed to perform refresh of watcher history";
+                logger.error(err, e);
+                throw new AssertionError(err, e);
+            }
 
             try (XContentBuilder builder = jsonBuilder()) {
                 builder.startObject();
-                builder.startObject("query").startObject("bool").startArray("must");
-                builder.startObject().startObject("term").startObject("watch_id").field("value", watchId).endObject().endObject()
-                    .endObject();
-                builder.endArray().endObject().endObject();
-                builder.startArray("sort").startObject().startObject("trigger_event.triggered_time").field("order", "desc").endObject()
-                    .endObject().endArray();
+                {
+                    builder.startObject("query");
+                    {
+                        builder.startObject("bool");
+                        builder.startArray("must");
+                        builder.startObject();
+                        {
+                            builder.startObject("term");
+                            builder.startObject("watch_id");
+                            builder.field("value", watchId);
+                            builder.endObject();
+                            builder.endObject();
+                        }
+                        builder.endObject();
+                        builder.startObject();
+                        {
+                            builder.startObject("term");
+                            builder.startObject("state");
+                            builder.field("value", "executed");
+                            builder.endObject();
+                            builder.endObject();
+                        }
+                        builder.endObject();
+                        builder.endArray();
+                        builder.endObject();
+                    }
+                    builder.endObject();
+                    builder.startArray("sort");
+                    builder.startObject();
+                    {
+
+                        builder.startObject("result.execution_time");
+                        builder.field("order", "desc");
+                        builder.endObject();
+                    }
+                    builder.endObject();
+                    builder.endArray();
+                }
                 builder.endObject();
 
                 Request searchRequest = new Request("POST", "/.watcher-history-*/_search");
@@ -204,6 +250,10 @@ public class SmokeTestWatcherTestSuiteIT extends ESRestTestCase {
                 String watchid = objectPath.evaluate("hits.hits.0._source.watch_id");
                 assertThat(watchid, is(watchId));
                 objectPathReference.set(objectPath);
+            } catch (ResponseException e) {
+                final String err = "Failed to perform search of watcher history";
+                logger.error(err, e);
+                throw new AssertionError(err, e);
             }
         });
         return objectPathReference.get();