Yeah, back in those days the Bendis rule of storytelling was in effect. Meaning, continuity wasn't as important if it got in the way of telling your story (mainly due to the fact Bendis wrote his issues months in advance) Events were the "continuity".
Now, events are less important, and Ewing stipulated when he took over the title, he didn't want to crossover or participate in events until he got his footing on the title.
Hopefully, Marvel sees that a love of the character, using continuity and not forcing crossovers results in a book like IMMORTAL HULK.