That angle is more interesting when you hear Tully talk about his views on valets and managers. He thought they would steal his heat so he always made sure they never directly effected the outcome of a match. Like he wanted JJ to hand him the foreign object, so he could hit the face. Otherwise it is JJ getting the heat and not him.
He said with Baby Doll, it was a running issue, because she wanted to be the star. I would not be surprised if that played a part behind the scenes.