You only had to be 55 or 70

But to recruit a death knight you only had to be level 55? Cone on, stop blindly defending blizzards arbitrary and inconsistent system of choosing requirements. It’s a Role Playing Game. You’re not recruiting Kul Tirans so you can have one as an alt. This is the very means through which you interact with the world and your primary character. And Blizzard’s inconsistent method of locking them behind reputation had nothing to do with it. That’s just a rationalization, on their part and yours.