Pepsiman is a beloved off-beat auto-runner for the PlayStation that never left Japan and yet has gained a massive audience in the west in recent years. However, it seems there were plans at one point to bring the game west, but without the Pepsi branding.
On Twitter, professional wrestler Brian Heffron, also known as The Blue Meanie, revealed that he was approached back in 2000 about lending his character’s likeness to make an American adaptation of the game. Heffron was willing to do it but a problem emerged as he was under contract to the WWE at the time, and was refused permission to take part in the project.
Heffron then noted he was fired by the WWE just a few months later, twisting the knife in further.
True Story. In 2000 I had been approached about doing a video game based on the Blue Meanie that would be an American version of a Japanese game called Pepsi Man. I was all set to do it and was told by WWF I couldn't. I was released a couple months later. https://t.co/iJvEMXjkuD
— Brian Heffron aka The Blue Meanie (@BlueMeanieBWO) November 6, 2021
Heffron also noted that no development had started yet, and the project was shelved when WWE denied permission.
Nah. It was early talks. Had a proposal sent to me. That's as far as it went. Once I was told I couldn't that was that
— Brian Heffron aka The Blue Meanie (@BlueMeanieBWO) November 6, 2021