Remember that Viral "Joshua Fight" Meme? It Actually Happened, and It Was Epic
Updated April 24 2021, 7:13 p.m. ET
While the internet is a place where many people go to argue with strangers, it's also become a forum for users to connect. Over the years, individuals from all different areas have bonded over memes, shared online interests, and other commonalities.
In April 2020, a screenshot of a Facebook Messenger exchange went viral. The creator organized a group of people with the name Joshua, and he established a date when all of the members could fight in order to keep their name.
Because the original Joshua set the date of the brawl for April 24, 2021, many people are now re-sharing the viral meme to find out if anything actually happened on that day.
Keep reading for more background on the original "Joshua Fight" message, and to learn why it's getting attention all over again.
What does those "Joshua Fight" tweets mean?
If you've been scrolling through Twitter and you've been confused by the posts that reference the upcoming "Joshua Fight," then you likely missed when the original message became a meme back in April of 2020.
A screenshot began circulating on April 24, 2020 that showed a group message exchange on Facebook. The members included in the thread all were named "Josh Swain."
The top of the screenshot shows that the members are "Josh, Josh, Josh, Josh, Josh, Josh, Josh, Josh, and Josh."
"You're probably wondering why I've gathered you all here today," the group's creator wrote in the first message in the chain.
"Because we all share the same names....?" one Josh Swain replied, while another left the group.
"Precisely, 4/24/2021, 12:00 p.m., meet at these coordinates, (40.8223286, -96.7982002) we fight, whoever wins gets to keep the name, everyone else has to change their name, you have a year to prepare, good luck."
Though the meme initially just targeted people named "Josh Swain," it quickly expanded to include anyone named Josh or Joshua.
The original image was also altered and photoshopped to be about other names.
While the post went viral as a joke, the date of the "fight" has arrived. The messages are getting a lot of attention online again as users have been wondering if anything will actually happen between those in the "Josh Swain" Facebook group.
The Joshua Fight actually happened on April 24.
As the interest in the "fight" has grown, multiple Facebook events have been created and a countdown clock has also been posted. The coordinates that the original Josh Swain posted lead to a field in Lincoln, Neb. (which is in Lancaster County).
Many people named Josh joked on Twitter about how they felt a need to participate in the fight in order to keep their names.
When 12 p.m. rolled around on Saturday, April 24, hoards of Joshes showed up to battle — and with pool noodles as their "weapons."
It looked pretty epic, honestly. And by the time it was all said and done, a particularly young Josh was crowned the winner.
Honestly, we need more of this wholesome content in our lives. What do you think of the Joshua Battle on April 24? Can you believe they actually went through with it?
