Mr. logic: Since the WT organization claims "apostolic succession " who was it that passed the torch to C.T. Russell who founded this organization of sheeple?
_____________________
First century Christians were apocalyptic in their expectations. They believed Jesus when he told them they would 'by no means' complete the circuit of cities preaching the coming Kingdom of God before He returned.
Millions then living would never die. (Wee joke)
Each new generation of Christian believers had a slightly more 'evolved' story to believe as the passage of time kept falsifying claims of "soon" for the return of Christ.
We know the stories of Jesus and His teachings were constantly changing because they were transmitted orally among the Jewish Messianic Christians until the Bishop of Hieropolis took the trouble to interview and write down current teachings from those who had been taught by disciples and Apostles.
STILL WITHIN THE FIRST CENTURY, the tales were so wild and divergent few Gentile Christians could believe them. The first church historian, Eusebius, thought most of what Papias (the Bishop who conducted the interviews) reported was goofy nincompoopery.
Why do I mention this?
The idea of any necessity of APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION would fly in the face of Jesus coming back 'soon.'
About three to four hundred years after Jesus had disappeared, the idea of 'succession' began to seem more and more necessary for credibility.
Jesus gave Peter the "keys to the Kingdom" and the church used that as pretext for
a 'hand-me-down' situation.
So my direct answer to your question is: A fictional need for apostolic succession has no need of explaining.
In all honesty, it was the Protestant Revolution which brought a do-it-yourself approach to salvation. Martin Luther replaced the idea of an infallible Pope with a new doctrine called SOLA SCRIPTURA. That meant any Joe Blow could simply read scriptures and pray and "presto" God would reveal the 'truth' and the 'meaning' of it all.
This do-it-yourself hubris led to sects springing up like mushrooms in a forest after a spring rain!
Today we have 40 THOUSAND Christian denominations.
Pastor Russell was against sectarianism AND organization. It was his wife, Maria (pronounced Moe-rye-uh) who applied the "faithful and wise servant" parable to her hubby and regarded it as a prophecy fulfilled in the Pastor's ministry.
This Hocus-Pocus is as close as you can get to "apostolic succession" in the JW
teachings. A direct hotline to Jehovah has proved to be a powerful MacGuffin for claims of Authority, hasn't it?