STEVE AUSTIN RETURNS TO KICK SOME ASS IN A BONE-CRUSHING SEASON OF "BROKEN SKULL CHALLENGE" RETURNING JANUARY 4 ON CMT

NASHVILLE - December 18, 2014 - There's no easy day at the "Broken Skull" ranch. Steve Austin returns with his trademark tough love for a second season of STEVE AUSTIN'S BROKEN SKULL CHALLENGE, premiering Sunday, January 4 at 8:00-9:00 p.m., ET/PT. The toughest competition series on TV, each week men and women from across the country battle it out in physically and mentally grueling challenges until only one is left standing. That person earns the chance to win $10,000 by beating the new and improved Skullbuster, a harrowing obstacle course designed by Austin himself. Even the strongest athletes fall victim to the Skullbuster, as the course breaks down competitors, body-part by body-part.

Each episode of BROKEN SKULL CHALLENGE involves a series of gritty physical challenges, as some of the most elite athletes in America compete head-to-head for the win. Contestants includes highly-trained body builders; Jiu Jitsu and MMA fighters; arena football, rugby and CrossFit athletes, along with every day men and women. Season one winner Tommy Hackenbruck also returns as the reigning champ, to see if any of the new recruits have what it takes to beat his benchmark Skullbuster time. If the final competitor fails to beat the existing benchmark, Hackenbruck will continue to amass winnings.

Fans can catch up on the full first season of BROKEN SKULL CHALLENGE with a 10-hour marathon on New Year's Eve, Wednesday, December 31 beginning at noon, ET/PT.

Steve 'Stone Cold' Austin, six-time World Wrestling Federation Champion and 2003 WWE Hall of Fame inductee has been busy since retiring from the ring in 2003. Austin began his acting career in 2005 with a breakout performance in the Adam Sandler starrer, The Longest Yard, which went on to make $187 million worldwide; followed by a starring role in The Condemned, which continues to be one of the World Wrestling Entertainment's most lucrative releases. In 2010 Sylvester Stallone tapped Austin for his action thriller The Expendables. In 2013 Austin had a featured role in Adam Sandler's comedy Grown Ups 2. Austin currently hosts two successful TV shows for CMT, Steve Austin's Broken Skull Challenge and Redneck Island. In addition, he shakes things up every week with his highly-rated podcast, The Steve Austin Show on www.podcastone.com. When not hanging out on his 2100+ acre Broken Skull Ranch (www.brokenskullranch.com) in the back country of South Texas, Austin lives in Marina del Rey, Calif. with his wife, Kristin, and their three Labradors.

For exclusive BROKEN SKULL CHALLENGE outtakes, photos and more, visit CMT.com and download the CMT App. Fans can also join the conversation on the series' official Facebook page and follow @CMT on Twitter and Instagram using #BrokenSkullChallenge.

STEVE AUSTIN'S BROKEN SKULL CHALLENGE is produced by 51 Minds Entertainment with executive producers Christian Sarabia, Rabih Gholam, Steve Austin and co-executive producer Vincent Cariati. Julia Silverton, Jayson Dinsmore and Joe Livecchi executive produce for CMT.

CMT, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 92 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.