WWE Extreme Rules 2012: What the Miz's Loss Says About Where He Stands

The Miz has been relegated to working pay-per-view pre-show matches. At Extreme Rules, he challenged Santino Marella for the United States Championship in a match that was aired on the WWE's YouTube channel.

Santino ended up defeating Miz with the Cobra to retain his title.

It's no secret that Miz has been on a steady decline over the last year or so. Many would agree that being a part of this match, not to mention losing it, is a new low for the former WWE Champion.

And with this being the season of releases in the WWE, could Miz's job be in danger? Or is this simply a problem of the WWE not having anything for him?

I would go with the latter.

Miz has established himself as a top-tier heel. While he may not be in that position now, he has proved that he can draw. On top of that, Miz has proved himself to be an invaluable public relations asset.

Perhaps Miz's inclusion on the pre-show is a good sign.

It could be seen as a testament to his value to the WWE. Maybe the WWE put him in the YouTube pre-show because they knew he would draw fans. A good turnout for the pre-show would be important to impress YouTube.

Finally, I don't think the outcome of this match has any effect on Miz.

If he won the title, he would have essentially locked himself in mid-card competition. Losing this match doesn't do him much harm, because he still showed plenty of fire on the mic and in the ring.

Miz's fall over the past year has certainly been sad to watch. He hit a new low at Extreme Rules and has a long way to climb before he regains his former glory.

That said, Miz is never someone you should count out. If anyone can make a comeback, it's him.