As it turns out, my cynicism last week was completely unfounded. I had assumed Death Knights would be getting the new weapon skill that Blizzard had thrown up for grabs, and that we'd have yet another class rolling on Fist weapons. However, Rogues were the recipient of this new buff, and we'll now be able to use Axes in the upcoming patch!
The Alliance Mage set is named after Khadgar, the kindly old geezer in the middle of Shattrath. He was an apprentice of Medivh himself and this mega-powerful wizard had a prominent role in the Second War. Horde players get their set named after a Sunstrider, though it isn't quite clear which one. The most likely candidate would be the hero-turned-villain Kael'thas Sunstrider, who was a high-ranking member of the Kirin Tor. But as lore guru Alex notes, it could really be any of the Sunstriders, a long, noble line of magic users. Khadgar's Regalia is in the gallery, too.
While many of the old Rogue veterans may put the kibosh on using anything that's not a dagger, I'd like to see us take the opportunity to embrace this change. Orc Rogues will be able to take full advantage of Axe Specialization (which will actually include Fists in 3.2), and it opens up the door to an entirely new playstyle that I like to call 'The Lumberjack'. You'll see what I mean, after the cut.