I don’t think Muhammad (pbuh) said anything without a reason, it applies in cases where the wife maybe unjust or down right wrong but the foolish husband still follows her.
I find that men follow their mother out of emotional attachment, perceived obligation & usually ignore the wife thinking she is trying to separate him from his mother when in reality all she is doing is asking him to grow up. The mother usually likes playing the apron strings & the wife is caught in the middle. On the other hand, I do not rule out a genuinely ill-intentioned wife causing frivolous mind games. (I have mostly across the former scenario)