Dry plug???
When you pull the plug out and find its dry, then put it back in the mower should pop a few times like its half thinking about going.
No fuel could be a sticky float. Tap the carb with the handle of a screwdriver. Or violently shake the mower. Ive had a bit of trobule with this, with new primer faces and new needles.
If its a fuel flow issue, leave the mower sit for a while with the fuel tap on. Try it again.
By rev out to the max do you mean rev way too high??? Thats a sign of lean running. I would say its not actually getting full throttle. I would be checking for air leaks. Sounds like when the cable comes out it is letting the carb go to full throttle. Might be an adjustment issue. Have you checked that full noise is fully open???
One thing i have found on a few mowers (mainly the older short filter type) is that the black plastic cable holder bit up in the air filter housing is some times not bonded to the cables outer. You can screw it up and down the spiral outer sheath and this alters the relationship between the inner and outer.
Pull the cable out of the air hose.
Clip it in the carb to check your adjustments in between twisting the air cleaner around, cant remember which way does what.
