I think the WTS always marched to its own beat. Russell had teachings that differed from mainstream Christianity, and Rutherford seemed to want to make that the norm. As if to show that JWs had THE truth, he made sure to deviate from as many mainstream positions as he could. When I was a JW, I was only aware that (1)JWs had the correct interpretation of scripture and (2)every other Christian denomination was wrong.
Once I was out, it became like the old saying: if everyone else disagrees with you, maybe the problem isn't with everyone else.