Jerry Lawler says what we're all thinking about The Shield, compares Dean Ambrose to Heath Ledger's 'Joker'

There's no doubting how exciting it can be when a group of badass wrestlers go off the grid and just start tearing shit up. It's why the New World Order (nWo) worked in WCW, it's why the Nexus was so hot when they first showed up -- despite having no star power -- and it's why The Shield is such an intriguing trio.

But, as we've learned time and again, depth is the key to survival.

Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns have been running in and beating down the likes of Ryback, Randy Orton, Sheamus, The Miz, and even The Rock. They've seemingly taken it to everybody and the only real explanation we've been given is that they're fighting against perceived injustices within WWE.

That sounds cool and all, but what else is there?

That's a question color commentator Jerry Lawler wants answered and he explained the dangers in how groups like The Shield are handled when talking to the New York Post:

"I think that what they've done with those guys and the way they have been presented has been very good in making a fast impact.

"I think now their characters need to be a little more developed, in other words, let's see a little more about these guys as individuals. You can of course still keep them as a unit but you can also hear more from them. I'm a firm believer that if a guy doesn't get the opportunity to talk every week that there's only a certain point he is going to get to. A guy has to be given the opportunity to talk one way or the other and that's going to make or break a guy. I feel like those guys will be able to do that, but I think we need to hear more from them to get to the next level.

"I do see those parallels and I think you'll agree that the Nexus shot up fast and got to that certain level and then it just kind of petered out. I would hate to see that happen to these three guys and that's why I say it needs to go to that next level and I feel like in order to do that they'll need to have a little bit of a different kind of exposure other than just those hit-and-run type things.

"I think that gets to a point where it angers the fans first at the members of The Shield but the longer it goes on without these guys developing some more character it angers the fans at the WWE and they ask ‘Hey, why do you keep letting this go on like this? Something more needs to be done.'"

It is absolutely vital for WWE to explore just who the hell Ambrose, Rollins, and Reigns really are. All the information we have to go off are their mannerisms during the brief periods of time they appear on television and we know how they brawl.

That's fine at first but if something isn't growing, it's dying.

To that end, Lawler specifically brought up Ambrose and made a comparison we've made around these parts as well:

"They're all interesting characters. Ambrose reminds me of the Joker from Batman. The Heath Ledger one. It's almost like I can just see that he's got that kind of personality that people associated with that villain and he could go places with it. That's why I think they need to change them up a little bit."

It's mouthwatering to think of the endless possibilities with something like that but again, we're not getting to see that because WWE has decided to put them in somewhat of a holding pattern. And it's understandable when you've got much bigger storylines to worry about like The Rock winning the WWE championship, his rematching John Cena at WrestleMania 29, booking that card -- which should be the biggest ever -- the return of Undertaker and Brock Lesnar, Triple H coming back into the mix, and an assortment of other important programs.

Heat dies fast, though, and it's important to take advantage of it while it still exists. Here's to hoping WWE listens to Lawler and gets back on the ball.