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If You Are Grappled: If you are grappled, you can attempt to break the grapple as a standard action by making a combat maneuver check (DC equal to your opponent’s CMD; this does not provoke an attack of opportunity) or Escape Artist check (with a DC equal to your opponent’s CMD). If you succeed, you break the grapple and can act normally. Alternatively, if you succeed, you can become the grappler, grappling the other creature (meaning that the other creature
cannot freely release the grapple without making a combat maneuver check, while you can).
If I'm reading this right, it seems that by RAW you can take control of a grapple with an escape artist check. Now, I'm not saying that I play by RAW or that I'd allow it, because I wouldn't, an escape artist check could only release you from the grapple. But reading this section it seems you can take control of a grapple with an EA check.
As an IRL wrestler myself, I can tell you that there are two basic ways to escape from being controlled in a grapple.
The first is a reversal: you slip around or get better leverage against your opponent. That's what I envision winning the grapple Combat Maneuver to be.
The second is simply slipping free of the hold. When you do this, you don't have any control over the grapple any more, you're just breaking free for a fresh start on your feet.
The most I'd allow a winning escape artist to do is reinstigate the grapple as a free action (making a Combat maneuver check) and only if they beat with the escape artist check by 5 or more (sometimes you can break free leaving your opponent at a disadvantage). That doesn't make a hell of a lot of tactical sense because if you're using escape artist instead of your CMB then I doubt you actually WANT to be grappling, so this is really more of a mental excersize than anything else.
Edit: I see, your question specifically regards RAW, and I'd agree that yes... RAW says that the reversal of control is possible with an escape artist check. Makes no sense, but that's how it's written.
If I'm reading this right, it seems that by RAW you can take control of a grapple with an escape artist check. Now, I'm not saying that I play by RAW or that I'd allow it, because I wouldn't, an escape artist check could only release you from the grapple. But reading this section it seems you can take control of a grapple with an EA check.If You Are Grappled: If you are grappled, you can attempt to break the grapple as a standard action by making a combat maneuver check (DC equal to your opponent’s CMD; this does not provoke an attack of opportunity) or Escape Artist check (with a DC equal to your opponent’s CMD). If you succeed, you break the grapple and can act normally. Alternatively, if you succeed, you can become the grappler, grappling the other creature (meaning that the other creature
cannot freely release the grapple without making a combat maneuver check, while you can).
I think the description of the Escape Artist skill explains this.
Grappler: You can make an Escape Artist check in place of a combat maneuver check to escape a grapple (see Chapter 8)
or to change from a pinned condition to merely grappled.
As I see it p. 201 refers only to breaking a gaple with another grapple check. It probably needs rewording to account for the skill description on p. 96, which as far as I can tell only permits the user of Escape Artist to escape a grapple or change a pinned condition to a grappled condition.
This also corresponds well with TLO3's actual wrestling experience.