The Monk was a somewhat left-field announcement. Given the difficulties Blizzard had with trying to balance Death Knights (not to mention the incessant cries of people saying they shouldn't be balanced, they're a hero class), it was not widely believed that a new class was in the works. When the trademark for Mists of Pandaria was sneakily filed by Blizzard with no comment or information like the torrent of Cataclysm leaks prior to its announcement, there was some speculation of brewmaster hero classes and a few whispers of a monk class (and if you read the comments in that link, you'll see me saying that it is likely a red herring; consider this sentence the equivalent of inserting my foot into my mouth, quite gladly too I might add).
But the Monk was announced nevertheless, and now the hype train is a' rolling. With a new class on the way, let us evaluate the importance of class roles and niches in World of Warcraft.
