Pain is temporary, Pride is forever. In one of the hardest matches of my career, Austrian ring veteran Michael Kovac takes me to the limit of my abilities, stretching me in ways where the human body becomes an unwilling instrument of pain. Yet, it is that very pain which makes the combatant stronger if he withstands its demanding test. In the end, Kovac got counted down after a hellacious spike piledriver by Yours Truly, after nearly 25 minutes of perseverance and anguish. Photo by Kari Helenius (www.metalphotos.com)