diff --git a/app/services/issues/move_service.rb b/app/services/issues/move_service.rb
index 096a3643968..82e7090f1ea 100644
--- a/app/services/issues/move_service.rb
+++ b/app/services/issues/move_service.rb
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ module Issues
 
       rewriters.inject(content) do |text, klass|
         rewriter = klass.new(text, @old_project, @current_user)
-        rewriter.needs_rewrite? ? rewriter.rewrite(@new_project) : text
+        rewriter.rewrite(@new_project)
       end
     end
 
diff --git a/lib/gitlab/gfm/reference_rewriter.rb b/lib/gitlab/gfm/reference_rewriter.rb
index 5f906d07177..47e1aa67976 100644
--- a/lib/gitlab/gfm/reference_rewriter.rb
+++ b/lib/gitlab/gfm/reference_rewriter.rb
@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ module Gitlab
       end
 
       def rewrite(target_project)
+        return @text unless needs_rewrite?
+
         @text.gsub(@pattern) do |reference|
           unfold_reference(reference, Regexp.last_match, target_project)
         end
diff --git a/lib/gitlab/gfm/uploads_rewriter.rb b/lib/gitlab/gfm/uploads_rewriter.rb
index 5818766c974..bdf054a6192 100644
--- a/lib/gitlab/gfm/uploads_rewriter.rb
+++ b/lib/gitlab/gfm/uploads_rewriter.rb
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ module Gitlab
       end
 
       def rewrite(target_project)
-        return unless @text
+        return @text unless needs_rewrite?
 
         new_uploader = file_uploader(target_project)
         @text.gsub(@pattern) do |markdown|