Equilibrium: Who's Got Who?

My favorite dynamic between wrestlers is one where they are evenly matched. For me, nothing beats the excitement of a good back-and-forth tussle. It gives the match an intensity that I don't get from squashes (which I still enjoy).

The ever-shifting power dynamics in matches like these are what keep the wrestling exciting to me. There are times, however, when they reach equilibrium. When two opponents lock each other up in identical moves simultaneously. Only a few moves have this niche property of being simultaneously applied, so here I thought I would compile a small gallery.

Headscissors

Possibly the most obvious display of an equal tussle between opponents. The ouroboros is an exciting display of leg strength and resilience. It is sometimes called a "69 headscissors" or "mutual headscissors".

Spotland Scrappers' "Scrap Ex 4: Sammy Scrapper vs David Hitman"

osakarob's "Thick! - Ring Battles" (vs FeistyPDX)

Movimus Wrestling's "Jolt Jenkins vs Case Thornton: The Rematch"

Bearhug

My fondness of the bearhug is pretty clear. As I described in that post, I feel like the bearhug is incredibly intimate. Unlike the headscissors, the bearhug is a test of arm strength. Unlike in mutual headscissors, you can face your opponent in a mutual bearhug. This makes it just as, if not, more intense of a contest. There's a whole list on Bearhugger if this doesn't appease your appetite.

Wrestlingmale's "Paris Rough House War 21: Muscle Beast vs Derthal"

BigAlpha's "Aggressive Wrestling Encounter" (vs King Romeo)

Thunders Arena's "Cap vs Regan - Mat Wars 143"

Ankle Lock

A good way to weaken your opponent is to immobilize them. Targeting the ankle is a popular method of achieving this. But what if they do the same to you?

UK Wrestling Hub's "#039 Old School Brit Pro: Bo Bearly vs EC Extreme"

Trickfighters' "Chubby Grappling" (Dimir vs Mirko)

UCW's "Match 835: Axel vs Cole Dallas - Sleeper Match"

Ball Claw

Do I really need to say anything about these? I'll let the images speak for themselves.

BG East's "Wrestling with Pride 2: Ace Aarons vs Kirk Donahue"

Swiss-Fighter's "Ball busting against Nero the Beast"

Wrestlingmale's "Xtreme shot@parisroughhouse Deal1 for Ben" (Foxx Denfert vs Massimo Arad)

There are many, many more examples of moves like these. Perhaps I'll make another post like this one at some point. Mutual holds have a unique draw to them, and I can't get enough.