Defensive Stance

[Artega]

But then, for some reason, even the 'best' tanks there seem determined to never use Sunder Armor or Revenge, never leave Battle Stance, save all their rage to execute one target, and seem to think the occasional thunder clap is enough to hold aggro over a priest spamming heals on their two-hander-wielding selves.  (Which it might be, considering the moment something goes wrong the 'tank' is no longer taking all the hits.)
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/rant

Okay, I see a lot of this, and I'm going to spell it out for you:

You do not need a shield, and you do not need Defensive Stance.

While both certainly greatly increase mitigation, they also greatly reduce damage output. Just because you're the tank doesn't mean you can't be a damage-dealer, too.

I have tanked the entirety of all three sections of Dire Maul, both sides of Stratholme, the bulk of Scholomance, and many areas of Upper Blackrock Spire without ever using a shield, and without using Defensive Stance.

I have chain-pulled in an attempt to force my healer(s) to run out of mana, and I can't do it. I cannot take damage faster than they can heal it, and there is NO downtime.

While you'll do just fine doing the usual turtle-mode style of tanking, be aware that it ISN'T the only way to tank, and that you can tank without shields and without Protection talents perfectly well.

/endrant