Famous OC Bear Wrestler Back in the News

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The OC Register's Huntington Homes blog is covering the case of Dominic Menaldi, a local homeowner in Huntington Beach. Menaldi added lions' heads and a crest to a city-owned wall outside his castle, and now the city is threatening to charge Menaldi with a misdemeanor. (See a close-up of the changes here). That's pretty much the whole story, but this bigger news is the backstory about Menaldi: He's famously known for a 1999 wrestling match with Dakota, an 800-pound grizzly bear. The fight, which took place at Hollywood Park Casino, was bit of a letdown as the nervous bear had to be coaxed into the ring with cookies and his favorite song, "Time to Say Goodbye," by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman, according to the Guardian. Menadli ultimately headlocked the bear, who seemed pretty reluctant about entering into a tussle. Pictured: Random bear wrestling event.
· ‘Castle’ dweller who wrestled a Grizzly now fights city hall [OC Register]
· Bizarre sporting match-ups [Guardian]
· Bout Lacks Bear Necessity: A Willing Participant [LA Times]