It's not even really about the easy way out. At some point the question isnt between [Expansion A: Known location] or [Expansion B: World Revamp]. It will be between whether the expansion will do something nonsensical like have an expansion on a random planet or plane of existence that is not something players know about or whether it will tell at least some stories players want to hear.
The connection the Shadowlands has to the players is tenous at best, especially with how much stuff Blizzard needed to add and retcon to make it function as an expansion. Imagine how it will be when the area we are going to isnt even a place that has been mentioned before.
Do you really think that Blizzard will actively avoid a world revamp even when it is the only sensible option left?