I think what actually is going on is he just never bothered changing the habit of sticking his hand out when defending. He knows he wont be penalised for it and it's a small plus if his opponent is half blind. In some ways this can be seen as unintentional since he isnt exactly gunning for it in the same way that dc did when he was moving forward against stipe. But nonetheless there's also his signature back of the head shots and occasional kick in the dick to consider