one way out of this mess
Make server software available for all, so anyone can run their own server if they want to - like Minecraft. I own the machine this is running on, and I decide when to upgrade the software it runs, if I want to upgrade at all. I decide all the tweaks in the game world, who can join it and when it is available.
That is the kind of "always online" experience I could buy.
Otherwise, no thank you, I am note tempted by another WoW.