WWE sets date to announce Q2 earnings, Mickie James has a concert, Questions on C.M. Punk, C.M. Punk, and... C.M. Punk, more on Wrestling Revolution, more on Austin DVD, Marvel talks comics with Zack Ryder, WWE Network seeking new hiree, trailers for Immortal DVD, Punk talks life after WWE, his frustrations with the company and plenty more, new JR blog, and Rikishi discusses his sons (The Usos) in WWE

WWE has announced the date upon which it will report on its earnings from the second quarter of the year: 8/4/11.

Mickie James performed a concert in Louisville, KY today.

PWInsider.com has some new questions. Here's my take on them:
1. He's given a number of different answers over the years, including Cookie Monster. There've been a number of theories, from Clean Made, to Chicago Made, to their answer of Chick Magnet, and probably others I'm forgetting. So, it's not exactly clear.

2. Being the top heel on Raw and getting big segments in the past month leading to a main event WWE Title match in his hometown would be a pretty strange way to bury someone. Especially if said someone had a chance of appearing for another nationally televised wrestling promotion. In other words, no. And he's almost certainly not going to TNA.

After the break, I look at all the frenzy over WWE's ice cream bars and the rest of the day's news.
3 and 4 have been discussed, so I'll jump to 5. Looks like I'll have to take this one piece by piece: That headline was definitely an exaggeration, though there was a good-sized interest in the subject. And I believe that it was news when Good Humor responded various times, so that's why there were so many posts there on it. I'll let their answer speak for them, but that's why I linked to all of that.

I generally limit my coverage to nationally televised promotions, but this is a pretty interesting premise so I'm following news on it as well: all of the episodes of the upcoming Wrestling Revolution project will be distributed by Image Entertainment after airing on a number of digital platforms. It will play out more like a traditional TV show with a 13-episode season.

The recently announced Stone Cold Steve Austin DVD could be released by the holiday season.

Marvel.com caught up with the Long Island Iced Z to talk comic books and more in their "Fightin' Fanboys" series. If you like his Youtube show, you'll like this interview. Very entertaining guy. Smackdown's AJ Lee has been confirmed as a future subject of theirs. I'm sure she'll bring up Jean Grey.

WWE is seeking a network/cable TV recruiter for their upcoming channel launch.

TNA has released some videos to promote their upcoming Immortal-themed DVD.

C.M. Punk, who tossed the first pitch at the Cubs game today, spoke to a Chicago radio station about his plans post-WWE, basically saying that he plans to take time off.

Punk was also the subject of a big interview with GQ. This angle clearly has plenty of people talking; even NFL.com has referred to it.

As for what he talked about, the best promos indeed come from the heart. You have to feel your character and have to be believable in that role. The best characters are either exaggerated versions of the people playing them or inspired by something or someone who made the performer passionate.

Sometimes a script can work, if the writing's good, but the performer has to "get" what they're conveying or they won't sound convincing. They're paid to be performers, and they should make the most of any role they're given. Then at some point hopefully the company would trust them enough to do their own thing.

I do wish there was more helping from those who are doing well to those who aren't. You can be the best worker in the world, but if the people elsewhere on the card are doing poorly, that's going to bring things down.

I agree that Kofi, Dolph, Beth, Natalya, and Tyson have tools to be successful in WWE. If they could get whatever it is they need to make it to that next level, that'd be great for everyone. If Evan Bourne could get what he needs to be someone I look at as a future champion, that would also be phenomenal for WWE. A student to some degree is only as good as his teachers, though. If they need help, help them. It's rare that someone will just come out of nowhere and be a big star in the company. You have to work with what you have and make it as good as possible.

The part about everyone looking the same if they wear suits as champions is dead-on. That's part of what killed Samoa Joe's credibility in TNA. Here's someone who came in to the company with a unique look, pushed as a bloodthirsty monster, who had no allies and rarely spoke. The fans couldn't get enough of him. But what do they do when they finally make him champion? Have him cut longer promos, wear a suit, and be the student from the almost-50 at the time Kevin Nash, who was pushed as someone who might have been a threat to Joe. They made an anti-establishment guy the establishment. The fans stopped chanting "Joe's going to kill you" for a reason. AJ Styles went through something similar, going from a unique high-flyer to an angry suit-wearing heel.

Colt Cabana was entertaining in his few appearances as Scotty Goldman. He was something fun and different. Sometimes that can be a good thing.

As someone who's acted, I can agree with Punk about planning things out. Sometimes practice makes perfect, but sometimes you feel like it's not natural after the (whatever number) rehearsal and it comes across too much like an actor playing a part instead of someone who's actually doing what they're doing.

He's right about his character asking for ridiculous things.

I love that there are two buses, one for the good guys and one for the bad guys.

I'm glad he feels the way he does about using the gay slur.

He's got the right attitude financially, and he hope he enjoys his well-deserved time off. The company could reward him by having something good for him creatively down the line if he chooses to return.

Jim Ross also has an interesting blog up today.

Finally, Rikishi was interviewed about his sons being in WWE and a number of other topics. Him being a (non-competing) manager for his sons would be fantastic. They've definitely got potential. He was DEAD ON about using whatever time you're given to show what you've got. If you're a bit part in a play, you be the best bit player you can be.

That's all for Friday's news. More to come tomorrow. Thanks for reading!