Here is how I reason out wolverine and creed, given the transformation creed went through between the two movies. After origins, creed continued to accept the animalistic side and over the next decade and a half, evolved into a more animalistic mutant. These evolutions of mutant powers becoming more extreme is not unheard of in the x-men universe. He got bigger, more hairy, and less talkative. Who knows where his mind is socially, it would seem not in a good place. He behaves less and less like a human and more and more like the animal he is evolving into.
However, even though we know wolverine has no clue who creed is, nor his connection to him, creed knows wolverine. Creed specifically steals wolverine's dog tags, because that is their connection. Creed even wears them around his neck, that is pretty personal. Wolverine steals them back and creed takes a swim. That is that, but their connection was explained in origins. It was one of the biggest points to the movie.
Oh yes, in The Wolverine, Logan had started to remember some of his past with professor x's help. We don't know to what extend, but in x3 wolverine is more "tame" and at peace about who he is. So before professor X bites it, he helped Logan with his mind. This also seems to be what is referred to in DOFP, when professor X tells Logan to do for him what he once did for Logan. The turmoil in The Wolverine was connected mainly to the end of x3 where Logan kills Jean. Which is what Logan accepts by the end of The Wolverine.