WWE Extreme Rules 2012 Results: Miz's Sad Decline Continues with Loss to Santino

The Miz's rapid fall from grace has continued with a loss to Santino Marella in their battle for the United States Championship in the Pre-Show for WWE Extreme Rules 2012.

"The Awesome One," as he has affectionately come to be known, challenged Marella for the belt in hopes of regaining any shred of glory that he once held.

It's clear that when Miz keeps his composure and stays focused, he can beat almost anybody, as evidenced by his stellar performance at WrestleMania XXVIII when he became the hero of Team Johnny.

The recent streak of bad luck that "Mr. Money in the Bank" has met is of his own doing. He hasn't helped himself much and has been held back by his less-than-stellar interpersonal skills.

The Miz appeared to be in big trouble from the outset, as Marella had the backing of the crowd and the dreaded Cobra at his disposal. He even chased the Miz out of the ring early on with the Cobra.

However, he was able to gain some momentum when Marella made a mistake near the ropes. He actually dominated for a while before Santino began to mount a comeback.

The crowd began chanting, "Santino, Santino" and the Miz was thrown off his game.

Marella whipped out the Cobra but couldn't connect. He was then thrown into the corner by the Miz and ducked out just as he was about to be clobbered.

Just as the Miz turned around, he was met with the Cobra and was knocked to the canvas, leading to a pinfall.

The loss comes after the Miz seemed to be righting the ship after ending his 20-match losing streak at WrestleMania XXVIII.

He's been beaten, embarrassed and downright disrespected, and his loss to Marella is just the icing on the cake.

He's failed multiple times to reestablish himself as a champion, losing at TLC for the WWE Championship, lost the Royal Rumble after entering first and failed to acquire the WWE championship after being shown the door at Elimination Chamber by CM Punk.

The Miz's loss to Santino Marella further discredits his reputation as a WWE wrestler, and he's going to be hard-pressed to obtain another match for a championship belt of any kind.