From what I see in print here is the only difference in the ability to turn the saw over is if the plug is in or out. Compression is the difference that makes so with the plug in the compression is so high the piston is having difficulty passing TDC , a wet cylinder raises the comp so high in some saws the recoil has a very difficult time overcoming the raised compression and it seems like the recoil line may break before getting the piston past TDC. Myself I have seen this many times, the crankcase does not need to be totally filled below the piston for this to occur, just needs to be wet from a weeping carb, bad needle, seat or stiff metering diaphragm holding the needle off the seat.
