I think it has to do with "canned hunts", which is where a hunter hunts game (e.g. deer, lions, etc.) in a fenced in area or an area where game will almost definitely be present, so that the chance of a kill is nearly guaranteed. In an extreme case, it's like going to the zoo to "hunt" a lion. You basically pay to shoot a large game animal in a fenced area and take home a trophy to show your prowess at shooting a lion in a cage... Of course most probably lie about the hunt and say they stalked it on the open Sahara or something. Anyway, "canned hunts", hunts tomatoes, so a graphic to represent "canned hunts" could be canned hunts tomatoes. From that it became tomato cans, I think that was the progression. Basically, fighting a tomato can is going on a canned hunt, where the hunter (the favorite) is virtually guaranteed to make a "kill."