Pepe is a nickname for any person called José, but is also often used with different conotations. Etymologycally, it derives from the name of Saint Joseph, considered to be the reputed father of Jesus. Spanish for putative father is padre putativo, abbreviated to p.p, and pronounced Pepe.
In some regions of Latin America it is used derogatively to address people who are — or are considered — illiterate, uneducated or of a lower social class. In Cuba, it is at times used to refer to a bastard child.
It can also be used in a derogative manner to address someone who smells. This is in eference to the cartoon character "Pepé Le Pew"
Latin American professional wrestler Chavo Guerrero Jr. carried a hobby-horse named Pepe everywhere he went. During a WCW storyline in which Chavo "snapped", after several failed attempts by his uncle, the late Eddie Guerrero, to try to get Chavo to adopt some of the dishonest in-ring tactics that made Eddie famous.
Pepe supposedly gave Chavo advice before and during his matches, and Chavo even used Pepe as a foreign object during some of his matches. Norman Smiley sent Pepe through a wood chipper during an early-1999 episode of Monday Night Nitro. Mock funeral service webpages for Pepe can be found all over the internet by typing "Chavo and Pepe" into any major search engine.