Why are people obsessed with damage?

Picture this. You're playing Braum in Aram.
You're deciding on what to max first.
Comparing the differences in first and max ranks of your abilities, you see this: * Q - 2 second cooldown, 200 dmg * W - 4 second cooldown, 20 armor and magic resistence * E - 8 second cooldown, 20% damage reduction, 1 second duration

aram.zone suggests Q > E >W, or Q > W > E
op.gg suggests Q > E > W, E > Q > W, or Q > W > E

Intuitively, E > W > Q helps me do what I want to do best, yet it is very uncommon (6.65% on op.gg). Am I crazy or is the majority inting?