I didn't say Cataclysm wasn't rail-roading linear quests, I specifically said it was.
I also said people were complaining of the endless collections in Northrend last expansion.
People in general, myself included, like to complain... it is human nature.

I was essentially comparing WotLK questing to Cataclysm questing, saying that both had aspects which were not fun as a boxer.
But that Cataclysm was less painful then WotLK, 80-85 certainly felt a lot faster than 70-80 did.

1st to 85th is only a small portion of the overall game; compare the entire leveling process vs the time you spend in dungeons, raids, pvp, crafting items or playing the auction house.
Even if the leveling is painful or boring or whatever, it is a very small portion of the game, and the game is essentially the same elements in each expansion as the previous.