If you’ve been following current events these days, you will be aware of the so-called Josh Battle or Josh Fight. No, it’s not a gruesome battle that took place in times of yore whereby a noble warlord called Joshua faced the enemy army alone in battle or whatever.
It’s actually a jokey fight that originated on the internet between nine Joshes a year ago. One Josh sent out a request for battle to the other eight Joshes, so here we are: this actually happened.
One Tumblr user, who attended the battle, gave a visual and verbal recap of how it all went down.
More Info: Tumblr
What do you do when you're bored to tears? Well, of course, call others sharing your name to battle!
Image credits: Josh Swain
So, if you’re not aware, there’s this thing called the Josh Fight that was created by a Josh Swain who invited 8 other Josh Swains to a battle in a very particular location found outside Lincoln, Nebraska because of pandemic boredom. The victor would get to keep his name, while the rest would have to renounce their Joshness. They had a year to prepare. He also tweeted this challenge with the caption "there can only be one."
Now, in a turn of events that most did not expect—this grew into a huge thing where not 9, but hundreds of people showed up, with around fifty Joshes prepared to defend their birth-given right to be Josh.
So, on April 24, a year after the message, a bunch of people named Josh gathered in Lincoln, Nebraska to attend a pool noodle battle
Image credits: Sarah McGonagall
Nobody forgot about this! Came April 24th, 2021, 12 o’clock sharp, a bunch of Joshes as well as random spectators showed up. However, the coordinates ended up being someone’s property, so the event was relocated to Air Park Green Area, 4500 NW 45th St, Lincoln, NE, 68524. (not Bowling Lake Park as the sign has suggested, according to the official subreddit post). But it was still on!
Tumblr user Autistic Mob went to said event and gave a detailed (including pictures) recap of how it all went down.
And this Tumblr user gave us a pretty fun recap of how it all went down
Image credits: autisticmob
If you have a keen eye, you’ll notice how a certain Josh Swain left the chat. Well, turns out, both he and another Josh Swain showed up for the event, along with hundreds of other Joshes, the news, and a bunch of spectators whether locals or from out of state.
The battle started off with a duel between the two Josh Swains. A duel of Rock-Paper-Scissors. The victor? Josh Swain the OG, from Arizona. He then returned to his team—yes, there were two teams, each behind a Josh Swain as leader.
Around 50 Joshes and another thousand people, including the news, gathered for the event
It all started with a Rock-Paper-Scissors duel between the two Josh Swains
Image credits: autisticmob
Then, there was a free for all, and let me tell ya, there was a lot of fun to be had. Everyone battled using pool noodles, with hundreds of people including such notable mentions as Medieval Josh, Big Josh, Little Josh, Roman Centurion Josh, two Spider Joshes, Josh Wick, and a bunch of others. It was truly a battle of the century.
The rules were simple: no hitting in the head or below the waist, and once you were hit by a noodle, you were declared defeated. So, roughly sixty seconds later, a victorious Josh emerged, and that was Little Josh, a roughly 5-year-old kid.
Image credits: autisticmob
Before you write it all off as a dumb or even dangerous internet meme, keep in mind that all of this was for charity, managing to raise $6,600 for a children’s hospital as well as a truckload of nonperishables for the local food bank. And even though the battle is over, you can still be a part of the cause by donating to Josh's launched campaign to support the Childrens Hospital & Medical Center Foundation.
Also, since it’s the pandemic, everyone who didn’t have a mask was given one by the original Josh and everyone kept their distance. They respected the landowner whose field was the original spot, so they relocated, and at the end of it all, it made this one kid’s day. No doubt, everyone was happy about it.
Then followed a free for all where a bunch of Joshes battled to keep their name
Image credits: autisticmob
The Tumblr thread managed to gain over 100,000 notes and the whole thing was going viral all over the internet for days.
The winner? This ~5-year-old, nicknamed Little Josh, emerged victorious
Image credits: autisticmob. Note: original photo comes with a face blur.
Image credits: Twitter
The event also managed to raise over $6,600 dollars for the childrens' hospital and a bunch of food for the local food bank
Image credits: autisticmob
You can read through the original Tumblr post here, but before you do that, let us know what you thought about this: did you attend? Would you have loved to, but reasons? Tell us in the comment section below!