An answer to the old original question:
I own a backline company in Nashville, as you might guess from my user name.
I get cables back that are a mess; I use two methods to get the cables to "unlearn" a bad wrap.
Fast and effective is to lay it flat in the sun for an hour or so, more or less depending on how hot and sunny it is. Even better is to suspend it betweend a fence, tree or whatever is handy. It loosens it up and I can wrap correctly.
Suspending inside with a small weight in the middle also works, but takes longer, usually a couple of days.
Mark
BacklineNashville.com