Was The Dark Portal Originally Planned to Open in Azshara?

As many seasoned Classic WoW players may know, there were certain zones, objects, or NPCs that were originally released with World of Warcraft, but have since been removed. One notable example of this is the area of Southern Silithus, which stretched beyond the walls of Ahn'Qiraj. Another widely-known object from the early Alpha of World of Warcraft is the mysterious Dark Portal in the Bay of Storms, off the coast of Azshara.

While Blizzard never officially revealed why this portal was placed in Azshara, and then later moved to the Blasted Lands, WoW Classic content creator Jediwarlock recently made a video which covers some of the most common theories.

Some of the theories that may explain why this portal was in Azshara include:

A scrapped Bay of Storms Dungeon or Raid

Azshara was the originally intended location of the Dark Portal

The original War of the Ancients Legion portal

One of the biggest pieces of evidence for this final theory comes from the Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game manual:

Image courtesy of Jediwarlock

What do you think this portal was originally intended for? Do you think Blizzard could potentially include a new raid or dungeon in Azhara in a future version of Classic? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!