MO, your theory is nice, but I think you will find it won't work out that way.

How about this theory: Mana owner has too many discussions on the internet where people tell him his supports have no effect/have a deleterious effect/are the Devil's own work and doesn't want to carry the torch anymore.

Mana owner doesn't want to just give in and give it up, however, as that would mean he'd lose face, towards others and more importantly towards himself.

Then something happens that has nothing to do with the performance of the stands. Mana owner feels slighted and makes sure the world knows about it, said world being blissfully unaware of the slight until Mana owner made the slight known to all and sundry.

Mana owner then is in a situation where he can give up Mana without losing face, the world telling Mana owner that yes, they understand, would have reacted just like you, mate, it was too much.

Mana owner then has two courses of action, either use pseudo-Mana and publicly mock himself about it (the country-gentility-hunting-object variant) or use something else entirely.

I think this theory is just as farfetched as yours.