RJ,
On our Brother/BL machines the local dealer insists that we pull from the needle down like you are threading the machine. Pulling backwards from the top can cause issues in tension discs if I remember the lecture correctly. LOL.
A friend did pull threads backwards and created a burr inside the machine. I don't know if this is for all machine brands or not. I do my best to pull thread through to the needle area. Hope that helps!